Little Miss TARDIS
by piraticalxo
Summary: After a long time apart, the Doctor and Amy are reunited. But the Doctor also has to deal with another new companion on board the TARDIS.
1. Chapter 1

Wrote this a long, long time ago. Basically, the Pandorica Opens and the Big Bang episodes never happened.

Loads more to come...

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

Last night, like every other night, she had dreamt of a blue box: a blue box whirling through the vast expanses of time and space. Though she did not recall ever seeing such a contraption, she could not escape the inexorable pull of familiarity, of recognition. However hard she would try to stay dreaming, she could never be there long enough to meet the box's owner. She did not speak of it, and rarely thought about the dreams when she wasn't tucked up in the comfort of her bedcovers. She did not want people to think she was crazier than they already did.

Ella Pond was not unpopular, but it was fair to say that she was perceived as an odd character by most of her classmates. She was not shy, far from it, but did not share in the raucous jokes of the boys, nor find much interest in the incessant gossiping of the girls. She had her boyfriend, Zac, an insider-outsider like herself. They were friends with the popular people, but never quite made it themselves. Even her mother remarked in frequent measure upon her daughter's atypical personality, which bordered on downright insane at times. Nevertheless, it would not be fair to say that Amy Pond was anything less than devoted to her daughter. Ella was her only child, and she herself Ella's only parent – and that was the way it had always been.

If there was one thing that Amy and Ella did not discuss – aside from the bizarre dreams – was the identity of Ella's father. If Amy knew, she did not say, and ever since Ella's first curiosity, aged five, the subject had become insignificant in the Pond household. Nobody knew, apart from Amy herself, and that was that. Ella had always been a Pond, her mother's maiden name, and didn't like to think of herself as anything else. Despite the smallness of her family, Ella was not a lonely girl growing up. She was forever in the presence of adults – friends of her mother's, her great-aunt Sharon – and had her friends at school, but it was clear to Amy, Ella, and those who knew them well, that the company they preferred best was each other's.

Saturdays were a blessing at the Ponds' – a blissful lie-in (punctuated occasionally by fitful bursts of blue-box dreaming from Ella's bedroom), breakfast at the café round the corner, and a day of no-homework, no-housework freedom. This morning, however, felt different. Ella started awake, and found herself sitting bolt upright. The clock by her bedside flashed 7:00, and Ella remained still, listening out for the thing that had awoken her. There was nothing there – the house was silent. Passing it off as nothing, Ella settled down into the cave of duvet and pillows, determined to finish the rest of her dream. She had dreamt of the blue box again, and tonight she felt closer to it than ever. For the first time, she had gotten near enough to it to see the small white letters on the side: "POLICE BOX". She had also managed to make out several other characteristics of the mysterious flying box, such as its windows and door. What would such a "police box" be doing, soaring through space (for she assumed that the deep black of the surroundings was nothing like the Earth's own atmosphere)? Nevertheless, Ella was determined to find out more.

"Ella Amelia Pond, do you want me to drag you out of bed?" Ella was once again shocked out of sleep. This time, however, the source of the noise was clear. Amy Pond was Scottish, and living in London for the past fifteen years hadn't smothered the distinctive rhotic accent. After Ella had managed to stumble out of bed, she slipped on her dressing gown and made her way towards the hallway. A quick glance at the clock made Ella start. It now read 6:00. The clock had gone back an hour whilst she was sleeping.

"Ella!" Amy yelled again, so loudly that Ella had to cover her ears to muffle the sound.

"Alright, I'm up!" she yelled back, hurrying down the stairs. She had absolutely no idea of what she might find when she reached her mother in the kitchen, but she didn't want to wait to find out. Amy was known for her lack of skills in the culinary department, and Ella was starving. She would prefer a bowl of cereal than to be forced to sit through one of Amy's cooked offerings. "What's the matter?"

Ella let out an inward sigh of relief to see the kitchen still in one piece, with no smoke pouring from any of the appliances. Amy was already dressed, and rifling through a pile of letters. She looked up as Ella entered the room.

"Have you seen the time? What have you been _doing_ up there?"

"Sleeping, it's what most people do on Saturday mornings," Ella replied hotly. Why was this day any different from most? She quickly ran through her mental calendar – no birthdays, appointments, visits…nothing she could remember, anyway. "Why are you up so early? I usually have to drag _you _out of bed."

"Not at twelve o'clock, you don't," Amy said, pointing at the clock that hung above the kitchen door.

Surprised, Ella stared at the hands of the clock, which were definitely pointed at twelve. "Mine must be broken," she said, heading towards the fridge. "It says six." Amy shrugged.

"We'll have to get some new batteries for it, then."

Ella nodded, then smirked. "It's like in my room, time's literally going backwards. Like a time machine." She snorted a laugh, and poured out a bowl of milk for cereal, her mind immediately on the warmed croissant at the café, which _could_ have been the more delectable alternative to Cheerio's, had she not woken up so late. She did not notice her mother's face turn white, a remembrance and yearning cloud her eyes. She was not there to witness the clock in her room click back another hour.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The Doctor let out a frustrated cry as he punched buttons and pulled levers on the control panel of the TARDIS. "I don't _want _to go to Earth, you stupid machine!" he muttered, trying desperately to steer the spacecraft away from the green and blue planet, which hovered exasperatingly in the near distance. For hours, the TARDIS had been pulling itself in the direction of Earth like there was a magnet reeling it in. The Doctor had tried everything he could think of to retract the TARDIS from its course, but he seemed to have lost control over his ship.

The Doctor was the only one on the TARDIS, a rarity considering his usual affiliation with some companion or other. He had travelled alone for nearly seventeen years. Alongside the fact that most of his travel companions had been humans from Earth, he had always felt a tie to the little planet. It would be fair to say that the he loved it, due to the unbelievable number of times he had risked his life to save it. Those humans, though brilliant, were always getting into some sort of trouble, be it attacks from fellow alien species or a strike from within. They were defenceless, he knew that, but that was only part of the reason he was so intent on saving their race again and again.

Resigned to the fact that he had absolutely no control over the TARDIS, the Doctor leant against the wall and closed his eyes. For the first time in seventeen years, he was returning to Earth. The people he had met, the people he had saved, they all swam into his vision like a procession. He picked out notable faces amongst the crowd. Barbara Wright, his first human companion. Sarah-Jane Smith. Rose Tyler. But one face stood out in particular, a young, fresh-faced woman, with a mass of fiery red hair and a personality to match it. Amy Pond.

For most of the time he had known Amy, there had been another person on the ship – _what was his name? _Funny nose, quite irritating…_Rory_, that was it. He'd never left her side. They were engaged, although the Doctor could never for the life of him imagine why. They were both so different. Sure, he was a nice enough chap, and he clearly loved Amy, but he was just so _dull_. Amy, on the other hand, lived for adventure. The Doctor smiled at the memory – she was always getting herself into danger. She was all of his preconceptions, ideas, beliefs and feelings towards humanity, rolled up into one, red-haired young woman. He thought about Amy now. Christ, it had been a long time since he'd seen her. It had been a long time since he'd seen any of them. Maybe it was because Amy was the last one, the most recent, that his mind automatically brought up her picture whenever he thought of Earth.

He thought of all he had done in the past years, since leaving Earth. "Not much, if I'm honest," he thought aloud, chuckling to himself in spite of the despair at the TARDIS, which appeared to have developed a mind of its own.

The Doctor let the TARDIS drag him down to Earth, unsure of where he was going, or why. He closed his eyes and waited, drifting off to sleep as he and his ship broke the atmosphere.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

DON'T FEEL V WELL SO WON'T BE ABLE 2 MAKE IT 2NITE. SORRY. LOVE YOU. E XXX

It wasn't a complete lie, Ella argued with her conscience. She did feel tired, and the thought of getting dressed up to go out with Zac made her want to curl back under her duvet and go to sleep again. It wasn't the Zac part at all, she would have loved to have met up with him – it was going through the long process of shower-dress-makeup that put her off. Zac wouldn't have minded if she'd turned up in a bin bag looking like a grandma, but Ella minded, and today she just wasn't up to it.

NO PROBLEM. HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER, I'LL CALL YOU LATER. ZAC X

Ella settled herself down at her desk in front of the window. Amy was out food shopping – Saturday might be the resting day at the Pond's, but it meant that Sunday was filled with chores – and had been gone for some time. Ella was bored stiff. She glanced at the clock, forgetting it was broken. The red LED lights were now showing 22:00. Ella had the overwhelming desire to throw something at it. Why didn't she ever get round to buying a watch?

She was knocked out of her reverie by a noise that screeched and whirred from outside the window. _If a machine could be asthmatic_, Ella thought, _this is what it would sound like_. She hopped off her chair and hurried to the window. Scrambling to open the heavy lock, she yanked the window open and leaned out precariously to see the source of the noise. Her window faced the garden, and looking down, she could not see anything out of the ordinary. Then, like a dream, a fuzzy, dark blue image blurred into sight on the patio. A moment passed where Ella was motionless, perpendicular to the window frame, gaping open-mouthed at the life-size, old-fashioned police box which had miraculously turned up in her garden. Never taking her eyes off the box, she pinched the crook of her arm to make sure that this was not one of her mad dreams again. Nothing. No abrupt awakening from a crazy daydream. No, there definitely was a police box in her back garden.

Once she had established that this definitely _wasn't_ a dream, Ella clambered back into the house, and tore down the stairs, towards the kitchen and the back door to the garden. She was sure that the box would be gone – a figment of her imagination brought about by the heat of the day, perhaps – but it was still there, in all its glory. Tentatively, she approached the object, which towered above her, at least 8 feet tall, and cast shadows across the concrete floor.

Ella had just begun to get used to the idea of a materialising police box travelling from her dreams into her garden, when she received another shock to the system. The door of the police box opened with a slow creak, and standing in front of Ella was a man.

"Hello!" he said, twisting his red bowtie into place, and sticking out his right hand for a shake. "I'm the Doctor."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

_London, 2029. Reign of King William V. _The Doctor racked his brains for significant events which might have caused the TARDIS to drag him here, but he could think of nothing. _Very well_, he thought. _I'll have to go out there and see what's going on_.

It was summer, at least. How beautiful planet Earth was when the sun was shining. Not so much in winter, although the Doctor did appreciate the occasional snowfall. He made his way from the control panel to the door of the TARDIS, and opened it to find himself in what appeared to be a garden. A city garden, most probably, judging by its size and lack of flora. The person who owned it clearly wasn't into gardening that much.

As the door opened fully, the Doctor found himself facing a young human girl. She had long, brown hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her expression and body language showed she was surprised, scared and intrigued all at once. Another thing that the Doctor admired about the human species – they were capable of showing a vast range of emotions, more than any creatures he'd come across anyway.

"Hello!" the Doctor said cheerfully in greeting. He caught sight of his reflection in the downstairs window and hurried to straighten his bowtie, which must have gotten twisted during his haphazard landing. "I'm the Doctor."

At first, the girl did not do anything; say anything. She just stood there, dumfounded, her light brown eyes never leaving his own green ones. Eventually, she must have decided that she could trust him, or that whatever weird situation she had gotten herself into could not get much weirder, and she reached out her own hand to shake his. She flinched at the touch, drawing her hand back to her side.

"Ella?"

The voice came from indoors, and both he and the girl turned sharply towards the house. Footsteps were getting nearer the door, and they both waited with baited breath for the source of the noise to appear.

"Why's the back door open?" the voice said again, and its owner came into view.

The Doctor couldn't believe it. Somehow, unbelievably, he had managed to fall once again into the garden of Amelia Pond.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"What is going…?" Ella turned to face her mother, whose words trailed off in disbelief. Wrenching her eyes away from the bow-tie man, Ella watched Amy's hand grasp the doorframe for support, her eyes wide at the sight of their visitor.

"W-what are you doing here?" she whispered, her words a quiet breath in the uncomfortable silence of the garden. Ella had been about to answer, when she realised that Amy's words were not for her – they were for the man. Amy took a deep, slow breath, and stepped onto the patio. Ella could see she was shaking. Then, Amy flung out her arm in Ella's direction, her eyes never leaving the man's face.

"Pinch me," she said, and Ella raised her eyebrows at her. "Pinch me, hard, so I know I'm not dreaming." Sighing, Ella did as she was told, and Amy let out a yelp.

"You told me to!" Ella exclaimed, painfully aware that the mysterious man was wearing an expression of humour at them.

"Ella," Amy said, her eyes still permanently fixed on the man, who had taken up a more relaxed position, leaning against the blue box doors, arms crossed. "Go to your room. I'll deal with this."

A wave of anger rolled through Ella and she opened her mouth to object. "I'm not going to my room!" she spluttered, annoyed. She tried to repress her feelings so not to embarrass herself in front of the stranger, but she couldn't help it. "This is _my _dream, not yours. You can't just walk in here and expect me to _go to my room_!"

Amy finally broke her gaze away from the man, and stared at Ella. Her face wasn't angry, as Ella had expected, but puzzled. "What are you talking about, _your _dream?"

Ella suddenly felt embarrassed – how could she explain to her mother what she meant, without making the man think she was crazy? _Oh well_, she thought, _here goes nothing_.

"I've been dreaming about him for ages, mum," Ella said, the words coming out in a rush. "Like, years."

Ella saw Amy stiffen, a jerk that drew her eyes to the man, still leaning bemusedly against the police box. "You've been dreaming about _him_?"

Both Amy and Ella turned in surprise to the man, who opened his mouth to speak for the first time since Amy had arrived. "Well, it's been known to happen," he chuckled. "I am quite a catch, after all." He winked at Ella, and she felt her face flush deep red.

"Not _him_," she hastened to say. "Not exactly. No, just the box thing."

The man swirled round to face his police box, and then span back around to look at Ella. Amy also allowed herself a quick glance at the box, casting an accusatory glare at the man, before resuming her penetrative stare at her daughter.

"_Please_," Amy begged with a sigh. "Go upstairs. I can deal with this."

Ella knew when she had lost, and moved at a glacial pace towards the door. Once she was inside, she bombed up the stairs, two at a time, and resumed her former post by the bedroom window. Leaning out, she could just make out her mother's figure by the door, facing the man.

It was a while before either of them spoke, and Ella waited with baited breath to see what would happen. Finally, Amy spoke, her question loud against the stillness of the garden.

"What are you doing here, Doctor?" she asked again. _Doctor? _Ella questioned. _It _sounded _like doctor._ He was unlike any doctor Ella had ever seen in her life – the kind with stethoscopes and model skeletons in their office. Nevertheless, Ella leaned out further, listening hard.

"Believe me, I have no idea," the doctor man replied, taking a step towards Amy. Ella saw her mother bristle, but she didn't move to get away. "The TARDIS kind of flew me here herself."_Tardis, is that what he said?_ _What is going _on?

There was another elongated pause, a silence punctuated by Amy's breaths. "I thought you'd never come back," Amy finally said, in a whisper so quiet Ella had to strain herself in order to hear it. Even then, she hadn't been quite sure that those were the right words. Who was this man? Her mum seemed to know him, but how? And why was Ella dreaming about him?

"Really?" The doctor's voice pierced through the air, almost an accusation. Amy shuffled awkwardly, and Ella willed her to speak again.

"So," the doctor was the one to puncture the discomfort. "The TARDIS has changed since you were last on it. I gave it a little makeover. She tried to fight back, bless her, but I thought I'd give it a try." _Yes, he definitely said Tardis_, Ella thought. "Want to take a look? I got central heating."

Amy looked startled by the offer, and seemed torn. "I can't, Doctor," she said eventually. "I can't leave…" she risked a glance back at the house, and the doctor seemed to understand.

"Well she can come to if she wants, the more the merrier I say. It's probably for the best anyway, I know what you're like," he said, grinning. When there was no immediate answer from Amy, the doctor headed towards the doors of the police box.

"No!" Amy's voice rang out so loud that a pair of birds who were nestled in a bush, previously silent, sprang out their protest in a series of sharp calls and fluttering of wings. "No." Amy said again, once the cries of the birds had died out. "I'll decide what's best for my daughter, thanks."

The doctor stopped short mid-stride, his pose almost comical from Ella's point of view. Slowly, like a cartoon character, he swivelled round to face Amy again. Ella knew, of course, that they were talking about her, and held her breath.

"Your…your daughter? Right, of course. Of course." The doctor stumbled on his words, a polar opposite to his confident, cocky speech just a few seconds previously. Something Amy had said had made the doctor start, and Ella knew what it was. "What else would she be?" he continued, as Amy straightened up, her gaze turning into a glare. "How could I have been so_stupid_?" This last word was said with such ferocity that Ella's insides scrambled with surprise.

The doctor's face set with a stony countenance, he slowly backed his way towards the police box, a brief nod in Amy's direction his parting gift. As he turned to enter the box, Amy called out.

"Doctor!" she said, and after a brief hesitation, the doctor turned. "Don't…don't go. Not yet." Resigned, the doctor made no move either way.

"So," the doctor said again, congenially trying to make conversation, a bemused expression on his face. "Rory around?"

Amy looked taken aback. "No, he's not around. Hasn't been for a long time." She trailed of, a wistful, sad note to her voice. Ella was surprised – she'd never heard of a Rory before. Resigned to the fact that this mad situation was definitely _not_ a dream, Ella assumed Rory was another of these acquaintances of her mother's, like this doctor. _He probably travels in a police box too_, thought Ella snidely. _Or maybe a red telephone box_.

"So she's not…" the doctor looked up towards the house, a nod of indication towards the window. Ella, terrified of being caught eavesdropping, launched herself back into the house, recovering herself in time to hear Amy answer.

"No, she's not," she said tersely, a note of finality in her voice that Ella knew so well. It ended every debate in the Pond household, clearly the stranger – _well, stranger to _me _anyway: he knows mum well enough_ – did not know this, and he trundled on with the conversation.

"Blimey, you have been around a bit then."

"Not really, no." By now, Amy's voice was laden with irritation, and Ella, peering over the windowsill, could see her crossing her arms – _another reason to stop_ _talking_, she thought to herself, praying that the doctor would change the subject swiftly.

"Right, no, of course not, of course not. No. Definitely not," the doctor babbled, and Ella imagined (for she could not see as well from her new vantage point) Amy's eyebrows furrowing as the doctor spluttered his way out of the gigantic hole he had dug himself into.

"Doctor," she said eventually, saving him from his embarrassment. "Shut up."

"And she's back!" the doctor suddenly exclaimed, and Ella, no longer caring about being caught, leant back out through the window in time to see the man throw his arms around Amy and give her a big hug. "I knew I'd find the real you in there somewhere!" he rejoiced, and pulled away. Amy emerged looking flustered, her stony expression vanishing.

Not giving time for Amy to speak, the doctor pulled her hand towards the police box. "Trust me," he said over his shoulder, and to Ella's surprise, she saw her mother allowing herself to be led behind him. "It'll all come back when you see her. The TARDIS isn't something you forget easily." And with that, Ella watched both her mother and this crazy, ridiculous man disappear inside the tiny box.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Surrounded by the familiar gadgetry of the TARDIS, Amy looked so at home that the Doctor wondered how he could have thought she'd changed. Sure, she was a little older, but in reality, nothing was different. She was the same Amy Pond that he had known and loved.

"You're going to have to give me an explanation at some point," she said wandering around the deck of the control panel, her hand brushing across everything in her reach as if to remind herself again.

"I think _you _owe _me _an explanation first," the Doctor said, not pausing to hear her reaction. "You just walked out."

"Yeah," Amy responded, her exploration of the TARDIS halted. She looked at her feet guiltily. "About that…"

Amy was interrupted by a loud banging on the door of the TARDIS. Both she and the Doctor looked over in alarm. Suddenly, a voice yelled out, loud enough to penetrate the thick metal walls of the TARDIS.

"Oi!" the voice exclaimed, punctuated by more loud knocks. "Will someone _please _tell me what's going on!"

As the banging continued, Amy turned to the Doctor. "It's probably best to let her in," she reasoned. "She won't stop."

The Doctor, fearful for his beloved spaceship, hurried to the door. Bracing himself, he opened the door, and was faced with an angry teenage girl, mid-shout.

"Hi again!" the Doctor greeted cheerfully. "Did you want to come in?"

He looked down at the girl, Amy's daughter, who stood there silent and sheepish for a moment, before catching sight of the vast interior of the TARDIS.

"Woah…" was all she could muster, before falling silent again, her mouth wide open in an 'o'.

"Yeah, she's pretty something," the Doctor continued merrily. He stepped back to allow her into the ship. "Welcome to the TARDIS."

Ella hesitated, and found her mother's gaze. A small nod from Amy seemed to encourage her to move forward, but she did so cautiously. Once she was beyond the threshold, the Doctor quietly shut the door. This was his favourite bit, watching people take in the wonder that was the TARDIS. He could almost see the emotions running through their little human brains: disbelief, denial, doubt…and finally acceptance. Finally. It took some longer than others, that was for sure.

The Doctor watched as Ella stood still, her eyes swivelling around the control room, the console, the gargantuan wardrobe. After a few minutes of silence, the Doctor and Amy waiting and watching, she let out a small sound. It was somewhere between a gasp and a wail, a mixture of rapture and terror, but so quiet that the Doctor had only just about heard it. Amy immediately rushed to her daughter's side, and put her arm around her comfortingly as she too surveyed the ship she had once known so well.

"Right, let's get to it then!" the Doctor exclaimed, ecstatic to be with his old companion once again, even if it did require an extra passenger. "Where do we want to go?"

He strode over to the control panel, bashing various buttons and levers, grinning as the familiar blue glow of light flooded the room. He barely looked up as Amy approached him.

"Doctor, we can't go," she said. She wasn't angry, in fact, she sounded sad.

"We can't just leave."

"Mum, what did he mean, _'where do we want to go?'_" Ella stood, alone now that Amy had left her side, bathed in the blue glow of the console's central column. The Doctor stopped his work. Now looking at her, he realised that she did look an awful lot like Amy. He hadn't registered at first – maybe because of the lack of red hair – but there was definitely a strong likeness between the two. She had the same pale, roundish face, the same dusting of freckles across her nose, the same eyes…

"I can't do this," Amy sighed, and it took a few moments for the Doctor to realise this was directed at him. "You'll have to explain."

"Me?" the Doctor said, straightening his stance. "Right. Well. Where to start?" Aware that his companions were staring at him, he launched into his usual explanation.

"Okay, here's the thing. You won't understand anything of what I'm about to say unless you get this into your head." He beckoned Ella to join him, and, though clearly reluctant, she did so. The Doctor looked up to Amy, who made her way across the room to be with them. She nodded at him to continue.

"The thing is…I'm a Time Lord," he saw Ella's eyes widen with shock and confusion, but continued. "Technically I'm not human. No, scrap that, I'm _definitely_ not human. Like I said, I'm a Time Lord."

"You're…an alien?" Ella stuttered over the word, turning red.

"Yes, that's right. Not your run-of-the-mill green, bald one, I'll grant you, but an alien. You're standing in my time machine."

Ella turned white, and may have passed out if Amy had not held her steady.

"Trust me," Amy whispered into her ear. "It took me some time to believe it, too."

"You were only seven. Then again, children are more inclined to believe than adults," the Doctor said, grinning.

"You knew him?" Ella stared at her mum, an accusation forming across her lips, which she bit back. "You never told me."

Amy nodded sadly. "It's a long story, hon. For another time, maybe. But for now, let the Doctor explain."

"Um, okay," Ella mumbled, her breathing ragged and her face still a pale shade of white. "You're an alien, and this is your time machine." The Doctor nodded. "So you just…fly around? Like in my dream?" she asked.

The Doctor chuckled, and Amy smiled. "Sometimes it seems that way," he said, "but no, there is actually a purpose to being a Time Lord. We can travel in time."

Ella started shaking her head in apparent disbelief.

"It's true, El," Amy said.

"You're from the future?" Ella questioned, her eyes boring into the Doctor's own.

"Not exactly, it's kind of hard to explain," the Doctor said. "But I've been there. _We've_," the Doctor gestured at Amy, "been there. And the past."

"_You've _been to the future?" Ella exclaimed, her previous mumblings forgotten as she practically shouted at her mother. "You never…you never…"

"I never told you," Amy finished for her. "No, and there are reasons for that." Amy glared at the Doctor. "I think that's enough Question Time. Ella, why don't you go back to the house? I'll be with you in a moment."

Ella made no movements to leave. "I'm not going anywhere," she said fiercely, and Amy shrugged at the Doctor.

"Fine then, but go lie down. You look like you're going to faint."

"I wonder why," Ella grumbled sarcastically, but this time she took her mother's advice and sat down on the cold metal floor.

"There's a room through that door, down the hall and three doors to your left," the Doctor pointed out helpfully, and Ella blearily made her way through the maze.

"Did we decide where we want to go then?" the Doctor said, leaping back to the console.

"Not so fast, Doctor," Amy said, coming to join him. "You still didn't give me an explanation."

"Neither did you," the Doctor grinned cheekily. Then, as quick as a blink, his expression turned serious. "You left." All of the feelings he'd felt the moment he realised that Amy had gone came flooding back to him, and he turned his head away. It had been sudden, unexpected. They'd solved the mystery of the crack-in-the-wall, they'd recovered Rory; they were all getting along blissfully…until they'd both vanished.

He heard Amy sigh. "It was…complicated," she said.

"Yeah, it was," the Doctor said, unwilling to shout yet incapable of keeping the hurt out of his voice. "It was jolly complicated trying to track the both of you down. I thought you'd…thought you'd…" the Doctor trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Think about it Doctor," Amy urged. The Doctor stood there, confused, but did not meet her gaze. He hunched over the console, pretending to be fascinated by the rust on one of the levers. "How long ago did I leave?" she probed, moving closer to the Doctor so that her words were little more than a whisper. "How long?"

"What do you mean, how long?" the Doctor said, trying to keep calm, despite Amy's infuriating questions. But something made the Doctor look up, towards the door where Ella had just walked through.

"She's sixteen?" he enquired, although he already knew the answer without Amy's nod. He let out a long, deep sigh. He realised now.

"I couldn't allow a child to grow up on the TARDIS, Doctor. Not with all the danger, and the…" the Doctor held up a hand to stop her talking, and was shocked to see Amy burst into tears. Bewildered, he stood still for a moment, a look of horror on his face, before reaching out his arms and allowing Amy to fall into them.

"I couldn't, I just couldn't," Amy wept, as the Doctor held her close. "But I wanted to, so badly. I've missed it so, so much."


	7. Chapter 7

Flashback Chapter - I think there are quite a few of these. They're in italics so you can tell. I've got a whole pile of chapters I wrote a while ago and I'm sorting through them all.

Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot.

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

"_Morning!" Amy said brightly, the yellow glow of a nearby star lightening the usually dark control room of the TARDIS. It was hot, and she had abandoned her usual jacket for a thin shirt. "Woah," she gasped as she passed the window. "That's big."_

"_What's big?" the Doctor's muffled voice came from the wardrobe above. He walked out of the room and leaned over the barred balcony. Amy craned her neck to see him. "What colour tie are we thinking today?" the Doctor mused, holding up a display of coloured silk and satin for Amy to see. "How about magenta? Or maybe yellow?"_

_"Stick with red, Doctor," Amy smiled. "It's your colour."_

"_It's not _red_, it's _maroon_," the Doctor protested, flipping the familiar dark red material around his neck and securing it into place._

"_Much better," approved Amy, turning to the window again. "Doctor – is the Sun meant to be that huge?"_

_The Doctor leaned over the edge of the balcony to get a proper look out of one of the TARDIS's many windows._

"_Uh," the Doctor faltered, feeling the rising temperature prickle the back of his neck. "No. Definitely not. We've got to get away, fast."_

_He bolted down the stairs and ran over to the console. Taking hold of the steering paddle, he heaved it to the right in an attempt to guide the TARDIS away from the burning ball of gas._

"_Doctor, it's not working," Amy said, unable to keep the rising panic out of her voice. Sweat was beginning to break out across her forehead and she gripped on tightly to the windowsill as the TARDIS swerved._

"_Give me time…a little more…_yes_!" the Doctor yelled in triumph as the TARDIS pulled away from the Sun. He guided the ship further out into the solar system, far enough away so that the whole of the Earth could be seen. Amy gazed down at her home planet, and shivered._

_"You really need to install central heating," she said, her teeth chattering as she went to grab her jacket. The Doctor smiled at her retreating back. Amy Pond. Funny, crazy, beautiful Amy Pond._

_He felt a sense of unease, but tried to repress it. Last night shouldn't have happened. It wasn't part of the plan. He'd solved it, finally; he had worked out what the deal was with the crack in time. But he'd let the celebrations go on too far, and he knew it._

_It was unplanned and inexplicable, but, _god_, it was perfect. Amy _was perfect_, the Doctor thought, as he listened to her discordant, out-of-tune whistling in the next room. _But that's not the point_._

_He was the only one who remembered Rory Williams. Whilst the rest of the universe went on as if he'd never even existed, the Doctor remembered. It was part of being a Time Lord – fractures in time did not cause lapses of memory. He always remembered. The same couldn't be said for Amy, who had been there during their negotiations with the Silurians, but didn't remember Rory. Amy didn't know that she once had a fiancé, who had saved the Doctor's life whilst his had been taken. Amy didn't know, that although she had spent the night with the Doctor, she had been engaged for over two years._

_She also didn't know, yet, that the Doctor had figured out a way to bring Rory back._

"_Doctor?" Amy called out, and the Doctor came out to the console. At first he couldn't see her, but then he realised that she was kneeling on the floor, head bent, looking at something. He went over to join her._

_"What've you got there?" he asked, bending down, unwilling to sit on the floor._

_"I dunno, it's some sort of box," she said, showing him the small, red, velveteen box in her hand. The Doctor shrugged._

_"I've never seen it before. Open it and find out," the Doctor said, as he made out of the room. He had nearly reached the door when a gasp from Amy made him scamper back._

_Inside the box lay a ring. It had a gold band, and a small, teardrop diamond._

_"Oh…" Amy said, her breath taken away by the sight of the ring. She'd never seen anything so delicately beautiful, but the Doctor had. And he knew exactly whose it was, and who had given it to her._

_"You shouldn't have!" Amy joked. "In other circumstances, maybe, but now's not really the time." She laughed as she handed him the ring and its box, and walked out of the room._

_The Doctor planted a smile on his face until Amy had left the control room, but once she had disappeared from his sight his face became sombre, a feeling of immense sadness washing over him as he rolled the ring around in his fingers. He knew he had to get him back, even if he lost her forever._


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Ella yawned, stretched out extravagantly and settled back in to the comforting mess of pillows and bedcovers. She enjoyed a few more seconds of blissful darkness before venturing a squinty, one-eyed look at the world.

"Wha…?" Ella half-shrieked as she realised that no, she was not in her small, blue bedroom at home. No, she appeared to be in a large, magnolia-walled room, lying in the middle of a massive white bed. To her left, a fire blazed merrily. Looking down, Ella realised that she was still in the clothes she had worn yesterday.

In a sudden rush, Ella remembered the previous day's events, and catapulted herself out of the bed, flinging open the large brown door. She found herself in a long, winding corridor. Doors lined the sides in a utilitarian fashion, evenly spaced out with the occasional tributary of another corridor. She had no idea where she was.

Terrified, Ella sprinted down the corridor, unsure of direction or bearing, screaming "Mum! Mum!" as she ran.

Eventually, after what seemed like ages, Ella heard the distant sound of voices. Listening hard, she flew down a final corridor, where an enormous metal door stood at the end. Wrenching it open, begging to be let out of this nightmare, she flew headlong into a man.

He was wearing a tweed coat, braces and a gaudy bowtie. _Wasn't a dream then_, Ella thought again, as if there had been any hope that it was.

"Oh, you're up!" said the Doctor. "Amy, she's up!"

"Mum?" Ella called warily, unsure about having to converse with this strange man. He seemed pleasant enough, sure, but if Ella's memory was to be believed, he had told her he was a –_what was it?_ Ella thought back to the conversation. _Oh yeah_, she remembered. _A Time Lord._

"I'll be there in a minute!" Ella heard Amy's voice call from the depths of the ship. Ella stood still, watching the Doctor as he flung himself energetically around the room. A faint whirring noise was emitted from one of the machines in the centre.

"Sorted!" Ella didn't know whether the Doctor was speaking to her or just to himself. She didn't answer.

She looked out of one of the small rounded windows, but all she could see was black.

"I thought it was morning," Ella said, confused. "But it's dark outside."

"Tends to happen when you're in space," Amy stepped into the room. "How're you feeling?"

"M'alright, I suppose," Ella mumbled. "I was until I found myself in a strange room in some time machine with a crazy man." She looked over at the Doctor, who had nearly disappeared behind a vast mechanical structure. "No offence."

"None taken!" The Doctor called out.

"You said we're in space?" Ella scurried to keep up with her mother, not quite sure where she was going. "How does that work?"

"I don't know really. I guess we just float about until we decide where we want to go."

"But now it seems the TARDIS is deciding that for me," the Doctor frowned.

"Stop eavesdropping, you!" Amy called back, without bothering to turn around. "Get back to work." The Doctor flashed Ella a cheeky grin, as Amy and Ella started up a flight of metal stairs.

"Okay," Ella nodded. "Then what happens?"

"Well, we just whirl around a bit –"

"Hey! It's much more clever than that!"

" – and we just appear in that place. At that time. He likes keeping us on our toes." They were on a metal balcony above where the Doctor worked in the main room, in a place filled with racks and racks of clothing. Ella remembered seeing part of this when she first walked into the TARDIS.

"Change into something new, you're still wearing yesterday's clothes," Amy said indicating the vast rails of dresses, shirts, and shoes. Decades of styles and fashions from every country and civilisation spread out in front of her. Ella noticed that, not only had Amy changed outfits from yesterday, but she also appeared to have showered and washed her hair. _Just how big _is_this place?_ Ella wondered.

"I can choose anything?" Ella asked in awe.

"Pretty much, yeah."

Forgetting the weirdness of her current situation, Ella transformed into full-on teenage girl. "Wicked," she grinned, as she grabbed clothes from the racks.

"Not the bowties!" the Doctor stopped his work to call out desperately. "They're mine!"


	9. Chapter 9

Another flashback...might need to use a bit of artistic licence in this chapter...

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

_"How much longer?" Amy asked, gritting her teeth against the urge to let go of the metal bar in her hand. She had been holding down the shuddering, resisting lever for ages, and it was getting too much. The force of time was too much for the little space ship to bear, and both Amy and the Doctor could feel the TARDIS giving way under their feet. Outside the TARDIS, the crack stretched out across the black emptiness of space, every second causing it to widen further._

_"Nearly there!" the Doctor replied, frantically trying to steer the TARDIS whilst simultaneously attempting to stop it combusting under the heavy pressure of time. "Wait a bit longer!"_

_"For what?" Amy yelled, pressing her whole weight down on the lever. The Doctor didn't answer, for at that moment he was searching desperately for something to appear out of the crack. He knew what it would be, but the sheer magnitude of the fissure caused difficulties._

_"Got it," the Doctor said to himself. "Keep hold of that lever, Amy. Whatever you do, don't let it go." He steered the dying time machine towards the crack, where he could see the tendrils of time wrapping themselves around something on the other side. As the Doctor got closer to the opening, a wrenching noise vibrated loudly throughout the ship, and the Doctor and Amy watched in horror as the door of the TARDIS was ripped off its hinges._

_"It's alright, keep holding on! Trust me!" the Doctor hollered at Amy, aware that if they didn't get to the place in the crack in time, he and Amy would be sucked into non-existence. The TARDIS, the time machine, was the only thing acting as a barrier against the black hole of time, and it was falling apart under the strain._

_"_Trust_ you?" Amy yelled back. "I trusted you when you said you had a plan! It's clearly not a very good one!"_

_The Doctor sprinted from his station at the console and went towards where the door used to be._

_"Doctor!" Amy called out. "What's the plan?"_

_"I'll explain later!" the Doctor shouted in response. "Not really the time!" Clinging onto the doorframe, he reached out a groping hand into the white mixture of time and space. Fragments of the TARDIS's door whizzed past him, a broken shard passing by his hand._

_"Nearly there, I reckon!" he called back to Amy, who was still clutching the lever as if her life depended on it. Technically, it did. Her whole existence depended on it._

_"When I say…_NOW! NOW!_" the Doctor yelled as his fingers clasped around something in the misty whiteness. Amy let go of the lever and she, the Doctor and the person they'd rescued were sucked back into the time vortex._


	10. Chapter 10

A little conversation between Amy and the Doctor

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

"You've done good with her, you know," the Doctor said to Amy as they sat down on one of the control room's new sofas. "She's brilliant."

"Thanks. Don't know about brilliant, mind. She can be a right pain in the arse sometimes."

"Ah, she's like her mum then," the Doctor smiled. "Good thing, that."

The two sat in friendly silence for a while. Ella had been given permission to explore the vast expanse of the TARDIS, and she had run off to try and find signal for her phone. Amy wasn't sure how much her daughter believed: about the Doctor, the TARDIS, about her previous life… She seemed to be coping but Amy knew better than most about how the mind could play tricks.

"I guess I can see why you wanted to bring her up off the ship," the Doctor said. "Every kid deserves a normal childhood."

"What, like I had you mean?" Amy replied sceptically.

"Yours was fine! Sure, you had a run-in with a Time Lord when you were, what? Seven? But I didn't show up again until you were an adult."

"_Four_ psychiatrists, Doctor. _Four_ is not normal for any child. You were my raggedy Doctor, and no-one believed me."

"You reckon it would've been easier if people had?"

"Easier for me. And seeing as I am the centre of the universe, I would say it would have been easier for everyone," Amy joked. The two fell back into silence again as they thought back to a time when Amy literally _was_ the centre of the universe. The cracks in time which kept appearing all seemed to be based around Amy's existence.

The Doctor finally broke the empty quiet. "Do we talk about Rory, or is it a sore subject?" He asked this by manner of conversation, a chance to catch up, but the both of them knew it had a deeper meaning.

"Not really a lot to say." Amy sniffed, trying to avoid the imminent topic of their old companion.

"Oh come on," the Doctor scoffed. "The two of you never got married, never had kids?" he nodded towards the door through which Ella had left. "It was what you always wanted, wasn't it?"

"I'm not talking about Rory, Doctor," Amy said fiercely, and she got up off the sofa.

"Why not?" the Doctor also stood up. "He was my friend. I care about him. I deserve to know what he's up to!" the Doctor couldn't understand why he was acting so persistent, but something inside wanted to reach out to Amy, to get her to talk.

"Fine! You know what, fine!" Amy sounded so angry that the Doctor sat back down with a thud. "He left me, alright? He left me when he realised I was having a kid that wasn't his."

The silence that followed her confession was no longer amiable, but one of shock. The Doctor, his head still reeling from her outburst, sat there dumfounded. Amy, overwhelmed at what she had just said, turned to run out of the room. She was halted by a figure standing by an open doorway behind them. Neither of them had realised when Ella had entered the room, and they didn't know how much of their conversation she had heard.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Ella had been given freedom to roam the time machine, and sensing that her mother and the Doctor needed time to talk, she had left them to it. She had taken her mobile on board with her, but there appeared to be no signal. _Naturally_, she thought. _We _are_ in space_.

Ella thought about returning to what she thought of as the "main room" – the room she had seen first, and the room where she had left Amy and the Doctor – but decided that an hour of alone time might be useful. She still hadn't fully absorbed everything that had happened the previous day, and wanted some time to sort her thoughts out.

_Right, Ella_, she thought to herself. _Let's get this straight. You've been dreaming about a police box flying through space. Then, one day, the box suddenly turns up in your garden_.

Ella paced back and forth mindlessly along the corridor. _From inside the box, which on the outside appears no bigger than a telephone box, a man dressed in funny clothes comes out, and recognises your mum_.

That was the weird bit. If it hadn't been for the fact that her mother clearly knew this man well, she would have been able to make sense of the situation a little better. Weird alien kidnapping, she could just about handle. Long-lost time-travelling friend was a little trickier.

They talk a bit, mention some guy, and then the both of them go inside the box. You feel angry, and so demand to be allowed in too. Inside it is crazy, massive, and then the man known as "Doctor" tells you he is a "Time Lord" and travels through time using an enlarged police box.

It was going well, although Ella was no closer to figuring out the meaning behind these weird events.

Suddenly, she heard a beeping noise from her back pocket. Retrieving her mobile, wondering if a miracle had occurred and she finally had signal, she looked down at the little buzzing screen. A symbol in the corner of the screen informed her that her battery was running out, and with a defeated sigh she went to turn it off. However, next to the little battery symbol some numbers flashed. Where the time would normally be displayed, a countdown clock had appeared:

04:16…04:15…04:14…

Each minute clicked down faster than the previous, and Ella turned off her phone with a groan. Clearly, the signal was not the only thing being affected by her presence on a time machine. Now somewhat bored, Ella made her way back through the labyrinthine corridors to the hub of the ship, sure that whatever issues her mother and the Doctor needed sorting out would be resolved. As she approached the room, she heard raised voices and hurried along to see what the problem was.

"Fine! You know what, fine!"

It was definitely Amy doing the shouting – her Scottish accent gave it away immediately.

Ella pushed open the door to see her mother standing, red curls flying about her face wildly, and the Doctor sitting petrified on a sofa, but they didn't hear her come in.

"He left me, alright? He left me when he realised I was having a kid that wasn't his."

She knew what "kid" her mother was talking about. She knew that Amy was talking about the man "Rory" who the Doctor also seemed to know. But she hadn't known that she was the unwanted result of an affair, or something along those lines. She wondered if Amy even knew who her dad was at all.

Ella wanted to run, and pretend she had never heard the words which were now buzzing around in the air like an echo. She watched Amy turn as if to leave, but when she saw her standing in the doorway she froze.

"Ella –," Amy began, but Ella cut her off.

"Save it, mum," she said, unable to stop her voice from cracking. She turned to enter the same hallway she had just left, to run and hide for a while. _Stop crying, you're being stupid_, Ella's conscious said to her as she ran, tears forming in her eyes. _What did you expect?_

Ella stopped when her feet could no longer carry her, and she slid down against a cold metal wall. Hugging her knees to her chest, Ella let the tears flow. She didn't know why she was crying, really. It just hurt to hear it come out like that, from her mother's own lips.

She barely registered the sound of footsteps until she saw a pair of dark blue converse shoes at her level. Ella barely looked up as Amy sat down on her left – she didn't want to show that she had been crying.

"I didn't want you to find out like that," Amy said quietly.

"Find out what?" Ella replied angrily. "I haven't _"found out"_ anything. That's the point."

"It's difficult, El."

"I get it, okay? You grew up without a dad, so you think it's okay for me not to have one too. I get it."

"No, you don't," Amy put her arm across Ella's shoulders and shuffled closer. Ella did not return the gesture but did not pull away.

"My father was killed, but he was the best dad a little girl could have asked for. I didn't want you growing up with expectations of a dad who couldn't live up to that."

"So you thought I'd be best off without one at all?" Ella was feeling less angry now, but still was determined to get a reasonable explanation. "And how did you know this Rory's not my actual dad? You might've just got it wrong."

"I might have," Amy agreed. "But I didn't. I just knew. He would've been a great dad, and I'm sure he'd have stayed if I had begged him. But I didn't want to put him through that."

"So you put _me_ through it instead," Ella said accusingly.

"It hasn't been that bad, has it?" Amy raised an eyebrow – she already knew the answer.

"No, it's been great. Really great. But I'm just starting to realise how different my life might've been with a dad. It might've been worse, but at least I'd have known."

There was an impregnated silence, and Ella sat chewing her lip – a habit she had whenever she was embarrassed or uncomfortable.

"Just…let me know…sometime. Okay?" Ella eventually asked, and Amy nodded. "And can you tell me about Rory? You know, just 'cause."

"Now?"

Ella shrugged. She didn't really know what she wanted to hear, but Amy had told her so little of her past that Ella felt she needed to hear _something_. Even if it wasn't about her actual dad.

"Err, okay," Amy frowned in thought. "Rory Williams. Well, he was amazing really. Never did anything wrong."

"Was he handsome?" Ella asked cheekily, and Amy grinned.

"Well, _I_ thought he was."

"Did he meet the Doctor at the same time as you?"

"No, no…" Amy paused for a bit. "I knew him though. I knew him since we were tiny. When I met the Doctor the first time, I was seven, and I used to make Rory dress up as him."

"You didn't!"

"Uh-huh. But that was Rory, he'd do anything if you asked."

"Mum," Ella thought over her words carefully. "What happened to him? Rory, I mean."

Amy took a deep sigh. "A long, long time ago, it was me, Rory and the Doctor. This thing happened and we got involved in a sort of fight with some Silurians –"

"With some _what_?"

"Silurians. They're like human reptiles. There's a lot of weird stuff out there, El."

"Right," Ella felt a bit light-headed again. "Carry on."

"Where was I? Silurians. There was one in particular, and we were just about to leave when she came out of nowhere and shot her gun at the Doctor."

Ella raised her eyebrows sceptically; sure that Amy was winding her up.

"It's true. Well, Rory took the blast and he got killed."

Ella's eyes widened. "So he's…dead?"

"We thought so. There was this massive crack in time –"

"You do realise you sound absolutely nuts, don't you? Silesians, Silarians, whatever. And cracks in time?"

"Sh, you. Let me get on with it. You did ask!" Amy punched her arm playfully, but the expression on her face was so sad that Ella quietened down.

"The crack swallowed him up, and basically it meant that he'd never existed. I'd known him practically my whole life and just like _that_, all my memories had gone."

"Like he'd never existed…" Ella considered.

"Yes. I guess it was alright for me, I didn't remember anything. But the Doctor did, and he felt really, _really _bad. So for two years we followed the crack around, and eventually, we got Rory back."


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

_It was late 2012, but in the TARDIS it didn't matter. It didn't make sense to think in present Earth time, not when they had all the time in the world._

_Amy sat up in her bed, musing over the events which had preceded this morning. The Doctor, the brilliant Doctor, had finally got to the bottom of the mysterious crack in time, and upon its closure he and Amy had worked together to pull Rory from its depths. Amy shuddered to think that for two years, all her memories of Rory's existence had been wiped clean. The Doctor had somehow managed to find a way to access Amy's brain, and with it had been able to reintroduce the years of memories that had been lost._

_It had been painful – memory readjustment can do that to a girl – both physically and emotionally, but it had been worth it. She had her Rory back._

_She hadn't seen him since the previous night, when he'd been unconscious. More importantly, _he_ hadn't seen _her_. Would he recognise her? Had his mind, like Amy's, been torn apart, so it was as if Rory had never existed?_

_Amy got up out of bed, not bothering to dress, and made her way to the control room in her oversize t-shirt and shorts. The Doctor would have answers to these questions, she was sure._

_But the Doctor wasn't there._

_"Doctor?" Amy called out, the word echoing around the stillness of the TARDIS's main function room._

_"Down here!" a voice called out, seemingly from underneath Amy's feet. She fell to her knees, peering through the gaps in the metal floor to the room beneath, which housed the heart of the TARDIS. She could just make out the Doctor's body moving below._

_"What are you doing?" she asked pressing her eye against the cold grate._

_"Nothing much – routine, just checking she's in full working order," the Doctor replied, and Amy could see the faint shine of the Doctor's green sonic screwdriver being prodded at various mechanical instruments._

_"Well, if she's not in full working order, we're screwed!" Amy joked. "We're in the middle of space!"_

_Their conversation was stopped abruptly by a wail from a room just off from the console room. Amy jerked up so hard she banged her head against a large, thick metal bar on the control panel._

_"Christ," she muttered, before another pitiful cry sounded out through the walls._

_"Doctor!" she called, pulling herself to a stand and rushing to one of the doors. "Come quick!"_

_The Doctor's footsteps pounded on the metal, but Amy didn't wait for him. Shoving herself against the heavy door, she entered one of the TARDIS's bedrooms, which contained a small bed and a blazing, artificial fire._

_On the plain wooden bed lay a man, a man she knew so well it was as if he had always been a part of her. Rory groaned; eyes squeezed shut and hands clutched to his temple in agony._

_"Do something!" Amy begged the Doctor, unable to tear her eyes away from the figure on the bed._

_The Doctor hurried over to Rory, holding down his shoulder to stop him thrashing about._

"It's the memories," the Doctor informed Amy as he struggled to hold down Rory's resisting body. "It's making his body go into shock. He might not recognise us."

_"Well do _something_!" Amy cried desperately._

_"Rory, Rory," the Doctor urged softly. "It's me. It's the Doctor – can you hear me?" When no answer was received, the Doctor tried again. "Rory, it's going to be okay."_

_After a few seconds, the Doctor's soothing words caused Rory to jerk to a stop, and his eyes flew open. He emitted an agonised sound and a shudder ripped through his body._

_"Rory!" Amy cried, rushing to the bed. She knelt down, and held his hand in her own, tears streaming down her face._

_Miraculously, Rory turned his sweat-soaked face in the direction of the new voice. He gazed at her, his eyes fluttering with fever and fatigue. Amy gripped his hand tighter._

_"It's me. You're back, and I'm here," she said, not taking her eyes off Rory's now-settled body._

_There was a pause, but finally Rory's mouth opened slackly. His lips pursed into shapes, relaying the same syllables over and over again. Amy leaned in, close enough to be able to hear the word repeated in Rory's breaths: "Amy…Amy…"_


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

The Doctor was enjoying some alone time whilst working on the console of the TARDIS. She had been running a little slow lately, but whether that was just because it was unused to the extra passengers, he didn't know. The artificial fires had been a good idea in theory, but running them took a lot out of the TARDIS's core energy.

He looked up as a shadow fell across the panel. Ella Pond was standing in slippers and a dressing gown – no doubt taken from the TARDIS's wardrobe – holding two mugs of steaming hot chocolate.

"Got one for you too," she said, holding out one of the mugs, and he took it gratefully.

"Early for you, isn't it?" he asked, between sips.

Ella just shrugged. "Can't really sleep at the moment." She grinned widely. "Nice PJs, by the way."

The Doctor looked down at his clothing and chuckled. He'd stayed away from his usual choice of shirt-and-shorts combo since Amy and Ella had come on board, and he thought he'd make use of the TARDIS's expansive costume department. This morning he was dressed in a light blue silky pyjama set, decorated with stars.

"I thought they were appropriate."

The Doctor and Ella shuffled awkwardly, using their drinks as a prop not to say anything. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk – far from it, he wanted to get to know Amy's daughter. But they had met in such bizarre circumstances that he really felt there wasn't a lot to say. And this being the Doctor, who could never keep his mouth shut, was rather a big deal.

"Come with me, I want to show you something," the Doctor said, putting down his empty mug on the console. He didn't wait to see if she was following him, but headed down the metal stairs to the floor below. There was a blue pulsating light coming from under the ground, where the heart of the TARDIS was kept, but that wasn't what the Doctor had come down here for.

At the far end of the room was a door, and the Doctor went to open it.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Ella said, still on the stairs. "Aren't we gonna die if you open that?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Trust me. I'm a Time Lord."

Ella didn't move for a moment, weighing up the arguments inside her head. Eventually she must have decided that he could be trusted – _strange, that_, thought the Doctor. _As soon as you use "I'm a Time Lord" they seem to trust you so much more_ – and went over to join him. The Doctor opened the double doors and Ella braced herself against the doorframe.

The Doctor held out his hand, and she took it. "Trust me," he said again, softly. Ella let go of the frame and came to stand next to him, looking out across space.

"I'm not jumping, if that's what you want," Ella said, and the Doctor laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to make you jump. But it's a pretty good view."

"Yeah," Ella breathed.

The Doctor pointed out a group of shining dots in the distance.

"See that?" Ella nodded. "That's the Solar System. That big dot over there's the Sun."

"Wow," Ella gasped. "This is crazy, but really, really cool."

The Doctor and Ella stood there in silence for a while, contemplating the vast expanses of the universe.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, turning up in your garden like that."

"Oh, it's alright," Ella said breezily. "It happens all the time…"

"It wasn't deliberate. Usually the TARDIS goes where I want her to go."

"Where did you want to go?"

The Doctor thought about this. Maybe the TARDIS knew that the Doctor longed to be back in Amy Pond's life again. How else would they have landed in her garden?

"I guess I'm still trying to figure that one out," the Doctor said.

"Well it looks like mum's happy to be back. She never mentioned you, you know," Ella replied matter-of-factly.

"Would you have believed her if she had?" the Doctor looked at Ella questioningly.

"Probably not," Ella agreed. "But maybe it wouldn't have been such a shock."

"Can I ask you something?" the Doctor enquired after another pause.

"Sure."

"What's it like, living with her?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Ella looked confused. "She's just mum."

"Yeah, I suppose she is. You know the first time I met her she was seven, right?"

"She mentioned something about a raggedy doctor," Ella chuckled.

"That's what she called me. But on the same night I met her, I left. I said I'd be back in five minutes, and I thought I would be. But the TARDIS was malfunctioning, and I didn't turn up again until twelve years later."

"Twelve years! She must've been pissed…"

"She was. Did she tell you she had to see loads of psychiatrists about her "imaginary friend"?" Ella shook her head, stunned. Clearly Amy didn't talk about any of her past life with her daughter. "Then it happened again. See, I had to go away for a tiny while, but in my time only a few minutes had passed since she was seven, then nineteen. When I came back again it was two whole years later."

"No wonder she has a hard time trusting people," Ella realised. "I can blame _you_ for the fact that she's never had a serious boyfriend." She was smiling though, and the Doctor smiled back.

"How about you, anyway?" he said. "Won't people miss you if you're not back in school?"

Ella shrugged. "Nah, not really. They might wonder. Zac will…" she trailed off, a look of panic on her face.

The Doctor understood. "Hey, we're on a time machine, remember? And I promise you she's not playing up anymore. Just say the word and I'll drop you and your mum back home. I owe you that much for letting her come on in the first place."

Ella thought about what he'd just said. "Did you miss her, Doctor? When she…ran away?"

Yes, he had missed her so much. After a while things faded; her smell, the exact colour of her hair in the sunlight, her accent…but he'd never lived a day when he didn't think about her. "I always knew she'd come back," he said, not realising that he'd spoken out loud.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

_"Amy, what are you doing? We can sort this out!" Rory tried to appease her as she swept like a tornado around their bedroom._

_"No, Rory, this is one thing we can't just _'sort out'_," Amy said, picking up her box of souvenirs from their travels._

_"But it's fine! It's what we've always wanted and –"_

_"No, it's what _you've _always wanted. I didn't ask for this," she said angrily. Rory watched helplessly as Amy shoved her clothes into the suitcase._

_"Whose is it, Amy?" Rory said quietly._

_"What do you mean?" replied Amy, her voice rising a little too much._

_"I said: _whoseisit_?" although his voice was quiet, Amy could sense the wretchedness in his words. She couldn't lie to him._

_"I…I…" she wouldn't, couldn't._

_"You don't even know? Jesus, Amy, I was _dead_!" Rory rarely raised his voice, but Amy could not blame him the emotion now._

_"You weren't just _dead_, Rory, you were never even _born_! I mean, what did you expect?"_

_"Well, I don't know. I guess I expected you to be the same person when I got back."_

_"I'm still the same person, Rory."_

_"Are you?" he asked, a rhetorical question. "Then why are you lying to me?"_

_"I'm not lying, I –"_

_"Do you still wish I were dead?"_

_"Don't be daft. Of course I don't. I…I love you," Amy was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Rory. She did love him, but things had changed since before. All the memory changes in the world couldn't bring back what they used to have._

_"You've got a funny way of showing it," he said, sadly rather than angrily. Amy closed her eyes until she heard the door of the TARDIS slam shut._

_They had landed in present-day England. It had been four weeks since Rory had fully recovered from being in the time limbo, and Amy had been trying to pass off her early-morning sickness as a bad reaction to the memory modification. But soon both Rory and the Doctor had begun to notice, and she couldn't hide it anymore._

_The Doctor was asleep – it was three o'clock in the morning, and Amy's frantic packing had woken Rory up. She knew it was cowardly to run away, but she also knew that she couldn't live on the TARDIS knowing what had happened. It wouldn't be fair – not to Rory, not to the Doctor, and not to her child._

_Suitcase of clothing and memories in hand, Amy slipped out of the TARDIS into the dawn of the English countryside. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was going to do. Maybe she would go find Rory, and explain; maybe she wouldn't. What she did know was that she had to get away, far away, and leave the life she loved so much._

_

* * *

_

_Another flashbacky chapter - just giving a little background info_


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

The Doctor had offered to show Ella his favourite part of the TARDIS. Up the winding metal staircase, to the very top of the ship, there was an observatory. He had spent many a lonely night lying under the glass roof, staring out into space. He had liked to gaze at Earth in particular, imagining Rory and Amy going on with their lives.

"Wow, this place is _insane_," Ella's jaw dropped when she saw the size of the glass roof, spread out across the ceiling. Space was so clear that every little pinprick of star could be seen. In the centre of the room, directly under the roof's window, lay a pile of cushions, and the Doctor flopped down onto them. Ella came to join him as they looked up at the galaxies.

"Does mum know about up here?" Ella asked, settling herself into the cushions. Amy had gone to bed with a headache, meaning that Ella and the Doctor had to find some way of entertaining themselves. The Doctor wanted to chat with her anyway, to find out more about his new teenage passenger.

The Doctor smiled, staring up at the sky. "It was one of her favourite places, too."

"It might be one of mine, as well," Ella sighed, squinting to make out the tiny shape of the Andromeda Nebula. The Doctor had brought up some popcorn and he offered the box to her.

"Amy…" the Doctor began, then corrected himself. "I suppose she's "mum" to you."

"Yes," Ella smiled. "But sometimes it's hard to think of her as my mum. She's more like a sister. You _can_ call her Amy, you know."

"It's been so long since I last saw her."

"Um, you saw her ten minutes ago. Talk about withdrawal symptoms," Ella grinned.

"Alright," the Doctor retorted playfully. "You know what I mean. Has she changed much?"

Ella shrugged, taking a handful of the toffee popcorn. "Well _I_ don't know, do I? She's always been the same to me." She put a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "Is the way she is now different to how she was before?"

The Doctor thought about this. He best remembered Amy Pond for her loyalty, her bravery, her wicked sense of humour, and her temper. None of that had changed. "Not really, no."

"Then, no. She's always been like that. She reckons you've changed, though."

The Doctor looked surprised. "In what way?"

Ella shrugged. "Apparently you used to be a lot more…cheerful?" she blushed, as if she had said something wrong or offensive. "Obviously you're cheerful, I mean, you're always smiling!" she laughed, and true to her word, the Doctor smiled warmly. "But she thinks you're a lot quieter, or something." She shrugged again.

The Doctor pondered this. He certainly felt cheerful enough, but maybe that was due to Amy's return more than anything else. "I probably have changed since she last saw me," he reasoned. "I've had a lot to think about in the last seventeen years."

The two sat amiably, munching on popcorn and thinking their own private thoughts whilst staring out at the brilliant black of the universe.

"Is it just you two at home?" the Doctor asked.

Ella raised her eyebrows. "Is this your way of subtly trying to find out if she's single? I've seen all the tricks, Doctor."

The Doctor grinned. "Maybe."

"Well then, yes. It's just us two, there's sometimes a random guy but nothing serious. Does that answer your question?"

"Certainly. But don't you want to know who your father is?"

Ella contemplated this, and shrugged. "I guess I do. Do _you_ know?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I thought it was Rory," he turned his gaze back to the window. "But apparently not."

"Yeah, apparently not," Ella sighed, also turning away from the Doctor to look upwards at the windowed ceiling. "But from what I've gathered it was someone she met when gallivanting around time and space with you." The Doctor flashed her a grin.

"Oh my god!" Ella suddenly shrieked. "You don't think I'm, like, an alien. Am I?" she shuddered. "Ew."

The Doctor threw a piece of popcorn at her, and she ducked to avoid it. "Excuse me, alien over here."

"Oh, sorry," Ella giggled despite her apology. "You just don't look very alien. I forget."

"That's alright, who'd want to be human anyway?" Ella stuck her tongue out at the Doctor, who laughed.

"So you don't have any idea?" Ella asked again, resuming a serious face.

"Not really," the Doctor shrugged. "She got on very well with people."

"Just people?" Ella raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who was staring at a galaxy in the distance.

"And aliens, I suppose," he chuckled. "Vincent van Gough took a definite shine to her."

"You met _the Vincent van Gough_?" Ella cried, stunned.

The Doctor laughed at the disbelief on his companion's face. "I've met quite a few people. Churchill was another, a fantastic man. He liked Amy Pond alright."

"Woah," Ella mulled. "This is so weird. I still can't believe you met van Gough. What was he like?"

"An absolute genius. Wonderful, fantastic..."

"Wasn't he crazy?"

"More…misunderstood. He was very upset to see us leave, particularly Amy."

"Oh my god," Ella said again, a look of realisation on her face.

"What?"

"That sunflower picture? We did it in art. It says 'Amy' on it."

The Doctor could not help smiling. He remembered vividly the day he had brought Amy back to the gallery after saying goodbye to Vincent. She had been so sad, but had been comforted by the thought that she had made at least some difference in the man's life. "Yeah, that was her. He painted it after we met him."

"Wow," Ella breathed. "Oh, God. What if Vincent van Gough is my _dad_? That can happen right?"

The Doctor burst out laughing. "It _can_ happen, but I don't think it did. Not with old Vincent anyway. She was fond of him though, clearly. Maybe it was the fact that they were both ginger."

Ella snickered, and they both fell back into silence. The popcorn had been finished, so they were left looking up at the universe once more. It was nice to share his favourite place with someone, especially someone who didn't insist on talking. Amy never seemed to shut up, and Rory was always blithering on about something or other. The Doctor was lively and eccentric, yes, and he liked to talk, but sometimes he also liked his peace.

"Who else could it have been, then?" Ella wondered, and the Doctor was not sure whether he was being addressed, or if the girl was talking to herself. He was saved answering as Ella continued. "If it's not this Rory, and it's no one you can think of…" she mused. "Are you _sure _there was no-one else?" she turned to the Doctor. "It's been what? Seventeen years since she left? You might have just forgotten someone."

"I thought you didn't really care whether you knew or not," the Doctor queried, arching an eyebrow.

"I didn't. I don't. Not really," Ella sighed. "But if there's someone out there who _does_ know, or who wants to tell me…then I guess I don't mind."

The Doctor stretched out on top of the cushions, leaning his head back as far as it would go. "I honestly don't have a clue," he admitted. He watched Ella as she nodded slowly, as if his answer was inevitable, or expected. "I'm not about to go and get my head ripped off by Amy for talking to you about this, am I?" He was smiling, but he knew that Amy would be angry if she thought they were talking about her behind her back.

"Nah, you'll be fine," Ella smirked, throwing her head back so it was level with the Doctor's. "But if she does find out," she turned to him, a devilish smile playing on her lips. "I'm blaming you."

* * *

_Right, I have a bit of a confession to make. Originally, I had at least six chapters included in this story which involved the Doctor, Amy and Ella going on their first adventure through time together. However, I started to realise that it was all getting a bit long-winded and I didn't have a clue where the story was headed - I wanted to make sure I got the point of this one through before delving into any more stuff. I'll have to see if I can pull this one off before posting up the other chapters - probably under a different story?_

_Thanks so much for the lovely reviews, they mean a lot and provide some much-needed encouragement for when I get lazy._

_A xoxo_


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Amy waited outside the gates of Ella's primary school. She was amongst a group of other mums – friends by situation, rather by choice – and though she joined in the conversation, her mind was elsewhere.

_The school bell rang and a stream of boisterous children entered the playground. Amy spotted her daughter, who was dragging her school satchel on the floor as she walked with her friends. She waved at Ella, who immediately picked up the satchel guiltily and bounded over. Amy said her goodbyes to the fellow parents, and Ella waved at her friends, and they set off for home._

_"How was school?" Amy asked, a typical parent question. Naturally, it was one of those ploys that would keep a child chattering away for ages, punctuated by the occasional _ooh_s and _ah_s and_really?_s, but which basically allowed the parent ten minutes in their own thoughts._

_Amy was lost in a reverie – what to have for dinner, should she give in and by Ella a hamster? – when she saw Ella looking expectantly up at her._

_"Sorry, sweetie, what was that?"_

_Ella sighed dramatically, and Amy smiled to herself. Ella was only six but sometimes it was like living with a teenager._

_"I was _saying_ how Mrs. Thomas asked us to draw a picture of our family, and so I drew you and me."_

_"Right…"_

_"But then she told me to draw my daddy as well, and I haven't got a daddy and I told her. I asked if I could draw my hamster instead –"_

_"You haven't got a hamster, El."_

_"Not _yet_," Ella gave her a wide gap-toothed grin._

_"We'll see," Amy reasoned, scrabbling in her bag for the front door key as they reached the driveway._

_"But I was just thinking," Ella continued. "All my friends have got dads. Mia's dad's really nice, and Georgina's is a bit scary but at least she's got one. He reads her stories."_

_"I read you stories," Amy said, opening the front door. She knew what was coming, and although she dreaded it she knew the conversation was inevitable._

_"But you don't take me to play football like Daniel's."_

_"You don't like football."_

_"But I'd like a dad," Ella dropped her satchel and went to sit down at the kitchen table. Amy went to the fridge to pour a glass of milk, and got a biscuit out from the cupboard – an after-school treat._

_"Honey," Amy sighed, placing the milk and chocolate digestive in front of Ella._

_"And I was thinking," Ella continued, as if Amy hadn't said anything at all. "When we go and buy my hamster, can we buy a dad too?"_

_Amy could not help but laugh, and Ella frowned, her eyebrows knitted together. "I wasn't being funny," she pouted._

_Amy quickly regained herself. "Of course you weren't, but honey, you can't just go out and buy a dad. It doesn't work like that."_

_"Then how come everyone else has got one and I don't?"_

_"It's…" Amy faltered, searching for the words that wouldn't come to the surface. "It's complicated."_

_Ella just shrugged, the plaits on either side of her head bobbing as she bit into the digestive. Amy looked at her, searching for similarities. Ella hadn't inherited her red hair, although sometimes in the sun her light brown curls glinted a red-gold. She had her freckles, her pale skin, her brown eyes. But there was definitely someone else in there. In personality, though, Ella was Amy's clone. They both had a sense of humour, fiery tempers, and a deep sense of love. That was what Amy loved most about her daughter._

_"Finished!" Ella slid off her chair and ran towards the stairs. "Mum?" she called out, pausing._

_"Yeah?"_

_"If I had to choose between a dad and a hamster, I think I'd rather have the hamster."_

_"Okay," Amy laughed as Ella ran up the stairs. _Someday_, she thought, as she heard Ella singing a nursery rhyme at the top of her voice, _but not today_._

_

* * *

_

Flashbacks...

Next chapter's a little bit more exciting. But only a little.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

"Has she gone to bed?" the Doctor asked Amy when she appeared in the doorway.

Amy nodded in response. "She's had a long few days."

"Tell me about it."

The Doctor and Amy traipsed up the winding staircase to the observatory – their favourite place for relaxing after one of their escapades.

"You're very mysterious, Pond. You know that?" the Doctor said as he settled himself down on the cushioned floor.

"I am?"

"Hmmh," the Doctor confirmed. "Most of the time, it's impossible for you not to get your feelings out – I don't think you can help it. But there are other things…" he trailed off, causing an irritated frown to appear on Amy's face.

"What other things?"

"Other things you won't share with anybody. Not even your own daughter." The Doctor knew he was on shaky ground, but he ploughed on. "I think you know what I mean."

"Why does every conversation we seem to have these days end up being about Ella's father?" Amy was still standing, glaring down at the Doctor on the floor with her arms folded defiantly across her chest.

"I care about her, Amy," the Doctor said. "I know I've only known her for a week but I've grown quite attached. She says she doesn't really care but I think it's cutting her up inside. You're not talking to her about something so deeply central to her life; you didn't tell her about me, or Rory. She's going to start wondering what else you're keeping from her."

"How the _hell _can you know how she feels? You don't even know her!"

"I know much more than you think," the Doctor said calmly. He patted the cushions next to him, and Amy reluctantly came to sit down.

"Is it really that bad?" the Doctor asked quietly. Amy just nodded slowly. She seemed sad.

"Tell me," he murmured, so softly that he could see Amy straining to hear.

"It's not important," she muttered. "Not to you, anyway. It's none of your business." The malice was gone from her voice despite the harsh words.

"I think it is my business," she Doctor replied softly. "And I think you know it is. That night –"

" – Shh," Amy interrupted. She put a finger to his lips and he stopped talking. Instead, he focused on her eyes: big, beautiful brown eyes, which had the capacity of looking both wondrously happy and excruciatingly sad at the same time. _Humans_.

The Doctor lay back underneath the stars, his arms wrapped around the person he loved most in all the world; in all the universe. As he listened to the sound of their three hearts beating together, his mind was elsewhere. He was picturing the young girl asleep in her warm TARDIS bed, dreaming of shooting stars and flying telephone boxes. Ella Pond. His daughter.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

_Ella frowned down at the piece of paper in front of her._

**Write a paragraph about your family.**

_That was the only instruction given to them in this exercise. At seven, Ella was bright enough to understand long words like "paragraph", but when it came to this particular activity, she was flummoxed._

My mum's name is Amy. She looks a bit like me except that she has red hair. She is from Scotland, but now lives in London with me. I love my mum because she is funny and takes me shopping, and sometimes buys me dinner at McDonald's when there is no food in the fridge.

_Ella chewed the end of her pencil as she thought about what next to write. At home, her "family" didn't consist of much – it was just her and her mum. Occasionally, they would pop round to auntie Sharon's for a roast lunch on a Sunday._

In my family there is also auntie Sharon. She is very old and smells like cats. I like her house because she makes yummy puddings.

_"Ella?" the teacher's probing voice pierced Ella's daydreaming. "Do you need some help?" She walked towards Ella's desk, her shoes clacking on the floor._

_Ella shrugged. She'd written about her family, and therefore she had completed the task. It wasn't her fault she didn't have brothers and sisters. She glanced over at her neighbour, Olivia Sutcliffe, whose paper was covered in scrawling pencil marks. Olivia had six brothers and sisters. _She's silly_, Ella thought, trying to bury her envy. _She doesn't know what a paragraph is.

_"Ella?" the teacher pressed, leaning down so Ella caught a whiff of her perfume. "Is there a problem?"_

_"No," Ella sighed and put her pencil down. "I've finished."_

_Miss Clarkson raised an eyebrow as she scanned Ella's paper. Ella stared at her lap rather than at the teacher._

_"You haven't written very much," Miss Clarkson said quietly. It wasn't quietly enough, though, as Olivia dragged herself away from her writing to gaze curiously – infuriatingly – at the page in front of Ella._

_Ella shrugged. "I wrote about my family."_

_"What about your brothers and sisters?"_

_"Haven't got any," Ella glared resentfully at Olivia. She would have loved six brothers and sisters to play with. Even just one would do._

_"Well," the teacher continued, impatience creeping through the light tone of her voice. "What about your daddy?"_

_"Haven't got one of them, either," Ella muttered, suddenly becoming very interested in playing with the pleats of her school skirt._

_"One of _those_," Miss Clarkson corrected before she could stop herself. Ella scowled at her lap, embarrassed at having been shown wrong in front of that stupid suck-up Olivia Sutcliffe. "I think…" Miss Clarkson continued, glancing down at Ella's paper. "You can make something up. Anything you like. But be quick, it's nearly the end of the lesson."_

_Before she walked away, she patted Ella lightly on the head absentmindedly. Ella picked up her pencil and stuck the end in her mouth again as she thought about what to write. Miss Clarkson had said to make something up. Ella wasn't very good at imagining things, but she was always being told off for daydreaming. She thought back to the dream she'd had the previous night. She took the pencil out of her mouth and began to write._

_Miss Clarkson sat at her desk at the end of the lesson, rifling through the children's work. As she reached the end of the stack of papers, a name caught her eye. She reread Ella Pond's endeavours, and then continued to the hastily scrawled section at the bottom._

My dad lives in a blue box in the dark. It is a very small box so sometimes he gets very squished. There are windows so he can look outside, and even though it is dark he can see everything. I have never seen my dad before but I know that he is out there. One day I will find him.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

"O…kay," Ella sunk back the armchair, feeling a little faint. She focused on a spot on the wall, trying to avoid the gazes of her mother and the Doctor.

The Doctor, her father. The Doctor, her _dad_.

"Ohmygod," she groaned, as a fresh wave of nausea hit and she put her head in her hands. They had broken the news to her twenty minutes ago, over breakfast. She'd nearly thrown up all over her Rice Krispies (one of her requirements for living on the TARDIS), although at first she'd thought they were joking.

Ella ventured a peek through her fingers. Amy was closest, leaning against the back of another armchair. She was biting her nails and looking at Ella nervously. To be fair, Ella's reaction would have caused even the steeliest person some concern – her outburst had involved some yelling and wild hand gestures. Her eyes flicked to the Doctor, who was hovering awkwardly by the door.

"Honey?" Amy asked tentatively, and Ella removed her head from her hands. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh," Ella whimpered. After the first initial eruption, when Ella had finally realised that they weren't messing with her, she had gone into a state of shock. The Doctor and Amy had hurried her into the armchair and she had been there ever since.

The knot in her stomach twisted tighter as she looked up at the Doctor. He was still by the door, wringing his hands. She had never seen him look so edgy.

"Mum?" she stammered, her eyes never leaving the Doctor.

"What is it, hon? Can I get you anything?"

"Can I..." Ella bit her lip, trying to decide the best way to phrase her question. "Can I talk to…to _him_," she nodded at the Doctor, who breathed in sharply. "Alone? Just for a minute."

Amy's head turned to the Doctor, then back to Ella. She repeated this action about four times, and it would have been comical if Ella had been in the mood for laughing. Eventually, Amy nodded, glanced at Ella once more and left the room. As she passed out of the door, she put her hand briefly on the dumbstruck Doctor's arm, and closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly after a few minutes' silence.

"For what?" Ella looked at him, surprised.

"You shouldn't have found out this way."

"I thought you didn't know? That's what mum said – that she only told you the whole truth last night, when I was asleep."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "No, that's true. And I'm not apologising for your mum either. It was her decision when – and if – to tell you."

"Yeah, and sixteen years later, here we are," Ella scowled.

"Hey, don't be like that," the Doctor reasoned, dragging up a chair. "She's been tearing herself up, trying to decide whether to tell you."

"And she waited until she had proof," Ella sighed. "Some proof, I've been flying around in a bloody police box for a fortnight. Well, at least I had something right."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Something inside of me just _knew_, as soon as I stepped into the TARDIS, that I was one step closer to finding my dad."

"But you never guessed how close he actually was," the Doctor smiled. "I never guessed either."

"Come on, you must have seen it coming," Ella said accusingly. "I can't believe I didn't realise myself, it was so obvious."

The Doctor shook his head hastily. "Trust me, it's only been these past couple of days that I've suspected something out of the ordinary. Your mum was being so secretive, for once. But I never really suspected this…"

They trailed off into silence. Ella found herself searching the Doctor's face, trying to spot any features they shared. For her whole life, Ella had been wondering who she had inherited the shape of her eyes from, and why her hair wasn't the same colour as her mother's. She surveyed his face from forehead to chin, pausing first at his eyes. His green eyes. Ella lowered her own brown ones. She was dumb to think that she and this man had any similarities. Everyone was always saying how she was the spitting image of her mother, and apart from the hair – she glanced begrudgingly up at the Doctor's own floppy locks, which were the same shade of brown as her own – she had to admit this was true.

The Doctor leaned in closer, and it was as if he were reading Ella's mind. "You got lucky in the looks department," he reassured her. "Would you really want to have inherited my nose?"

Ella snorted. "Would I really have wanted to inherit the alien part as well?" Her eyes widened, as reality dawned. "No…" she gasped, as her breathing rate rapidly increased. "No, no, no, no, _no_. I can't be…can't be an…an," she trailed off.

"I guess you haven't really thought about that much, huh?" the Doctor said understandingly.

Ella shook her head, panic welling up inside. The person in front of her – her _father_ – looked like a man, talked like a man, and acted like a man. But he wasn't a man, he was a _Time Lord_. And if her mother's recent confession was to be believed – and Ella had no choice but to believe her – then she was also a part of this mysterious race.

"What exactly is a Time Lord?" she asked so quietly that she was surprised the Doctor heard her at all.

"We're from Gallifrey," the Doctor replied. "It was a planet about 30,000 light-years away from Earth."

"Woah," Ella breathed, her eyes widening.

"Yup, big numbers. The Time Lords were the…well, they were the rulers of Gallifrey. As you already know, we can travel through – and manipulate – time, going both backwards and forwards."

"Were? You said you _were_ the rulers. And it _was_ a planet."

The Doctor sighed. "Gallifrey doesn't exist anymore," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Ella said, and she meant it.

"It was a long time ago." The Doctor's eyes misted over, his face clouded with memories.

"Why do you look human?" Ella said suddenly, and blushed.

The Doctor laughed. "I get that one a lot. I don't know really, I guess it's just how we evolved to look. But we're not really human at all. We have –"

"Doctor."

Both Ella and the Doctor jumped at the sudden intrusion, and turned towards the door. Amy had entered the room, having changed out of her pyjamas.

"Amy, I –"

"I don't think you should be telling her this, Doctor," Amy said quietly. "She's not ready, and –"

"Mum," Ella glared at her. "I want to know. I _need_ to know. You can't just spring this on me at breakfast and expect me to get on with my life without knowing stuff."

"Ella," Amy implored. "I don't want you to get confused. Your brain has already had way too much information today."

"I can't just move on with my day, mum. If the Doc – if _he_ – wants to tell me stuff then he has a right to."

Amy sighed and raised her hands in defeat. "Fine. Don't you _dare_ say anything to hurt her, or make her more confused than she already is. Got that?" She glared at the Doctor, who smiled back.

When the door clicked shut, the Doctor turned back to Ella.

"Where were we?" she said eagerly. She had long ago given up thinking this warped, twisted reality was a dream, and had decided to just go along with it. Now she was buried in it deeper than ever, and was brimming with questions.

The Doctor hesitated. "Are you sure? We can leave this for now, if you want. Like your mum says, you don't want to get too overwhelmed."

"When do I ever really listen to what my mum says?" Ella raised an eyebrow.

"Fair enough. I don't want to upset you, Ella."

"You won't. It's fine. I'm fine, promise. Now – Time Lords. If you're a Time Lord, and mum's a…well, she's a human, I hope…"

"She is most definitely a human, although sometimes I wonder about the Scottish."

"Right. So I'm what? Half Time-Lord?

The Doctor took a deep breath. "The thing is, this –" he gestured at the space between himself and Ella. "This is different. Different to anything I've ever come across before."

"You've never had kids?" Ella asked, although she could not ever picture the Doctor in a father-type role. It was what had her convinced Amy was joking.

Once again, a cloud passed over the Doctor's face. "I had a family," he said darkly.

Ella's heart thumped loudly. "Had a family?" she whispered tentatively.

"Yes. But never…never one like you."

"Great. So I'm a one-of-kind freaky alien thing. Good to know." The Doctor looked at her amusedly. "Sorry. Carry on."

"It means that I don't have a lot of knowledge about it. I don't know how much of you is human, and how much is…how much is me."

"Well, like you said, I got all my good looks from mum," Ella said breezily. The humour helped. It made it seem less real.

"I have two hearts," the Doctor declared suddenly, and Ella had to backtrack through the conversation in order to fully absorb what he had just said.

"What?"

"I have two hearts, and the ability to regenerate."

"I'm sorry…what?" Ella looked at the Doctor incredulously. She couldn't work out if he was joking or not.

The Doctor sighed. "You're your mother's daughter, you know. I can't get a word in edgeways. I knew that would shut you up though," he grinned cheekily. Ella threw him her worst glare. "Alright, alright. I'm not messing with you. All Time Lords have two hearts."

"Do…do I…?"

The Doctor cut her off. "I don't know. That's what's worrying me about this." He caught Ella's expression. "Not that this isn't good. It is, it's just a bit of a surprise, that's all. You're a great kid. It's just that I have no answers to some of these questions, and it's killing me."

"I can't have two hearts, can I? I'd know, right?"

"Well…I guess so. Any doctor – medical doctors, that is – who used a stethoscope on you would've spotted something."

Ella hesitated. "One said I had an erratic heartbeat."

"That might be it. I'd like to do further investigations, though."

"I'm not a science experiment," Ella scowled, but the Doctor just chuckled. "What did you say about…about regeneration?"

"Ah," the Doctor said. "Don't worry about that. Word diarrhoea, just ignore me."

"Doctor…" Ella narrowed her eyes, fixing him with a withering stare so akin to Amy's that the Doctor found himself unable to resist.

"If…if I die," he began, and Ella raised her eyebrows. Already it sounded ludicrous. "Well, not die, exactly. Say if I'm wounded, but so badly I'm about to die, I have the ability to…to regenerate my body. To come alive again."

And with that, Ella fainted.


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry for the long wait everyone. I've just had so much on and haven't had much time for writing, but now I'M BACK (and hopefully for good). This is just a chapter I've had lying around for a few weeks. Oh alright, months. Still pretty serious, remind me to lighten up. xoxo

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CHAPTER 20**

Amy shuffled quietly into the main room, where the Doctor was absentmindedly flicking a switch on the console. He glanced up when he noticed her standing there.

"Is she okay?"

"I've left her sleeping. I'm still not sure if she's actually conscious but she'll be alright."

The Doctor grimaced. "Sorry. She just sort of…"

Amy raised an eyebrow menacingly. "Just sort of what, Doctor? She _fainted_. She didn't faint when she saw the TARDIS pop up in our garden. She didn't faint when you showed her the Earth from thousands of miles away. She didn't faint when I told her all that stuff this morning. What did you _say_ to her?"

The Doctor looked sheepish. "I…well…"Amy really was terrifying when she was angry. "I might have mentioned something about…about regeneration."

His words came out in a rush and Amy paused for a moment, struggling to make out what he had said.

"You _what_!" she cried, so fiercely that the Doctor took a step backwards. "No wonder she…what were you _thinking_?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the Doctor raised his hands in surrender. "She was asking me all these questions…it wasn't my fault, she –"

"Don't blame this on her!"

"I wasn't!" the Doctor squeaked in terror. Amy was one of the very few things in the universe that could actually scare him.

"What am I going to do?" Amy said desperately. "I'm so stupid, I didn't think this through. What did I expect?" she rambled on, oblivious to the Doctor's attempts to get her to calm down. "We can't go back home, she no longer has that option. She was right, how can she be expected to just get on with her life knowing about all this?"

"She's like you," the Doctor said quietly.

"What?" Amy spun out of her tirade and narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. "What do you mean?"

"She wouldn't have given it up anyway," he continued, his voice still low. "She's too much like you."

Amy contemplated this, realising that the Doctor's words were true.

"I don't know what to _do_," her face crumpled. The Doctor stopped flicking the switch and looked at her in concern. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. You weren't supposed to come back."

"Well, I'm very, very sorry about that," the Doctor tried to smother his grin.

"I'm scared, Doctor."

The Doctor hurried over to where Amy stood, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm scared too, you know," he whispered into her hair.

"Hey guys."

They sprang apart as Ella's voice filled the room. The Doctor swivelled slowly to face her.

"Don't stop on my account," she smirked, heading towards the kitchen.

"How're you feeling?" Amy asked, her voice giving nothing away.

"I'm fine. What happened?"

"You fainted. It was pretty spectacular," the Doctor said. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm starving," Ella replied, her voice growing fainter as she left the room.

"_Don't say anything_," Amy mouthed across the room to the Doctor.

"_What's going on?"_ he whispered back, and Amy shrugged.

"I'm making pancakes if anyone wants one?" Ella called over the cacophonous clanging of pots and pans.

"Er, no thanks!" Amy responded quickly. She glanced at the Doctor, who was gazing towards the kitchen, looking confused.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Amy called out uncertainly, still watching the Doctor.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Ella's voice was bright.

Amy and the Doctor crept slowly towards the kitchen, both mentally preparing themselves for the sight that was awaiting them. Ella was leaping around the room, performing various culinary tasks whilst a pan of pancake mixture simmered cheerfully on the stove. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the scene, but when they did they widened in shock. Whilst a miniscule amount of pancake mix was indeed in the frying pan, a much larger quantity was spread out around the kitchen, decorating the floor, walls, surfaces and even the ceiling. Ella, still bustling around the countertops, seemed oblivious to the mess that surrounded her.

"El?" Amy spluttered once she had regained her voice, and her composure. "What's going on?"

"I told you," Ella replied, not looking up. "Making pancakes," she gestured at the pan, which was now bubbling furiously, emitting copious amounts of grey smoke. The Doctor stared at it in alarm.

"Sit down, sweetheart, just for a second."

"I'm fine, really," Ella's voice was high, bordering on hysterical.

The Doctor walked hesitantly into his kitchen, arms held out protectively in front of his body. He was wearing a new suit – navy blue, Savile Row – and he could see pancake mixture dripping ominously from one of the lights on the ceiling.

"Ella, I said _sit down_," Amy said, grabbing Ella by the shoulders and forcing her into a chair. A fleeting look of defiance set on the girl's face as she glared at her mother, before her eyes lowered to the floor and her body drooped. Amy's face softened. "Look…"

"I fainted?"

Amy put an arm around her daughter and looked pointedly at the Doctor, who was trying to keep a straight face.

"Uh-uhm," the Doctor spluttered. "Yeah. Kinda." His ability to speak seemed to have left him as he walked towards the girls. Ella's shoulders slumped forward and she hid her face in her hands.

"Oh god. Oh _god_," Ella groaned. "I'm so sorry."

Amy looked aghast. "Don't apologise! It's us who should be apologising – springing all this on you."

"Springing it on me, too," the Doctor muttered. He had the decency to look sheepish when Amy glared at him. "But, it is what it is. No going back now."

Ella nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said faintly. "No going back."

Unconsciously, instinctively, the Doctor held out his arms. Ella leaned forward into them, her head finding his shoulder. The Doctor looked up over Ella's head at her mother, still crouched by the chair. Their eyes met over their daughter, and she too wrapped her arms around Ella.

"It's going to be fine, isn't it?" Ella mumbled quietly into the Doctor's jacket.

There was a pause; the Doctor's eyes found Amy's again. "Yes," he said slowly, although both he and Amy knew that he was just saying it to appease her. How could they possibly know if it was going to be fine? How could it possibly _be_ fine? He was a Time Lord, a planet wanderer, a space explorer. A traveller. A child could not be brought up in an environment like that. For all the TARDIS's strengths, it was not designed to withstand and cater for a teenage girl. And what about Ella? She should be back on Earth, with her school, her friends. She had already seen far too much of the universe for her young mind, and had endured enough craziness to last a lifetime. "Yes," the Doctor repeated. "It's going to be fine."


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

"What's going to happen then?" Ella sipped her hot chocolate, her legs curled up beneath her as she sat back on the red velveteen couch. They were in the warmest room of the TARDIS, and a fire was burning cheerfully in the ornate fireplace.

"What do you mean?" Amy replied. She was sitting opposite her daughter, the orange flames reflecting in her smooth hair. With a lack of natural light, the room was lit only by the large fire and by some candles, which were scattered – rather artistically – around the room's surfaces. It made the whole atmosphere seem warm and cosy.

"Oh, you know. With the Doctor and everything. Surely we can't go back home _now_."

Amy hesitated. It had only been a few hours since Ella had broken down in the kitchen. She seemed relaxed enough, but Amy knew her daughter ran on her emotions – much like Amy herself. Every moment she had to hear Ella's heart-breaking sobs, Amy cursed herself more and more for not dealing with the situation properly. She shouldn't have let the Doctor talk to Ella about such daunting issues. She should have taken things slower.

"Do you want to go back home?"

Now it was Ella's turn to hesitate. She too was thinking about the conversation she'd had with the Doctor – her father. What at first had been a complete shock, an unbelievable, inconceivable reality, had now begun to sink in. She had gotten over the initial, strange feeling – perhaps it had been hope? – that it was all a dream, a weird fantasy that she had gotten caught up in. But no, it was no dream, and from the look of things the TARDIS and the man inside it was here to stay.

"Yes. No, I – I don't know," she sighed.

"Zac?" Amy asked gently. Ella felt a pang as Zac's face appeared in her mind. She cared about him, deeply, but could she ever return to the life she used to live, knowing she was lying to him? Because of course she would have to lie. Who would believe her anyway?

"I keep thinking of him, back home. Wondering where I've gone. Wondering why I just got up and left."

"Zac's not the only one who'd be thinking that," Amy said. "Poor Sharon."

"She must be used to this whole thing though," Ella said, and Amy looked at her questioningly. "You said you met the Doctor when you were younger."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, but Auntie Sharon never really met him. Never knew he was a Time Lord anyway. Can you imagine what she'd say at the thought of the two of us running around space?"

Ella snorted. "She'd probably go nuts. But seriously, mum. What are we gonna do?"

Amy sighed and looked at her daughter reproachfully. Ella tried hard to keep a straight face.

"Well," she said finally, when she realised Ella was expecting an actual answer. "We're just going to have to…"

"We should talk to the Doctor. He'll know what to do."

"You don't have to call him 'the Doctor', El," Amy said quietly.

Ella's eyes flashed. "Well what am I supposed to call him?" she said quickly. She raised herself slightly in the chair, so she was no longer slouching. "Dad? How can I possibly call him my_dad_? I've only known him a few weeks, and –"

"Will you _calm down_," Amy interjected forcefully, but she didn't sound angry.

"Sorry." Ella said quietly, after a tense moment. "Sometimes I get it, you know? I tell myself that it's okay, that I've just got to accept how things are. But then sometimes…I don't know…I've known the postman longer than I've known the Doc – _him_."

"How many times have I told you not to apologise!" Amy said, rolling her eyes exasperatedly despite the hint of laughter in her voice. "This is not your fault. You didn't ask for this."

"You didn't either," Ella pointed out.

"Well, I kind of did. And I'm going to sort this whole mess out, okay?"


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

Ella stood between her parents, bracing herself against the whirring console, which was glowing with a blue, pulsating light. Her brow furrowed as the Doctor and Amy expertly flicked switches, punched buttons and pulled levers attached to the machine. In front of her, a small black screen flashed a series of numbers back at her – in no particular order, or at least in no order that Ella could make sense of – and she had been instructed to keep her eyes on it. She just hadn't been told _why_.

Her glance shifted sideways to watch her mother. She had noticed this many times before, but she couldn't help but realise how much more alive Amy seemed lately. Even with all the stress of the Doctor coming back into their lives again, and the trauma of telling her daughter that she was part-Time Lord (not fully human, although clearly it was an easy mistake to make), Amy had approached every situation with vivacity and enthusiasm. She had always been a lively person, but there was something that Ella couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Eyes on the screen, El!" the Doctor's voice made Ella jump and her eyes slid back guiltily to the small black screen.

"Where are we going anyway?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Eyes on the screen!" This time the command came from both the Doctor and Amy, and Ella leaned in until her nose was practically touching the blinking lights.

"Sorry for breathing," she mumbled to herself.

This was her first proper voyage on the TARDIS, the first time she was witnessing the spaceship do anything more than float about in the time vortex. She was not scared – not really, although the more she thought about what was going on the more her heart beat. She had been assured that everything was fine, nothing could possibly go wrong. They'd told her that the Doctor had been doing this thing practically forever, but what sort of an indication was _that_? And how could it be fine when they were both running about like headless chickens? Maybe it was all part of the process. It was probably best not to think about it too much.

The whirring sound got louder, wheezing and groaning. Ella had to stop herself from putting her hands over her ears.

"God, what's that _noise_?" she grimaced. "Is it supposed to be doing that?"

"Don't worry about it, just watch the screen."

Ella started to focus on the numbers. Though they seemed random enough, when she looked at them properly she realised that they were actually counting down. Not in any particular order, as far as she could tell, but they were definitely decreasing. It reminded her of the phone, the alarm clock back home…no. Back on Earth. She wasn't sure where home was anymore.

The TARDIS gave a sudden lurch and Ella was thrown out of her reverie. She gripped onto the nearest thing to hand – a rusty metal lever on the console – to stop herself falling over. However, as she clung on to the lever she was unable to stop it swinging down with a metallic screech. The noises stopped. As far as she knew, the TARDIS was still moving, but the maddening wheezing sound was no more. She straightened up hurriedly, and guiltily turned her eyes back to the screen.

"Doctor…" Amy sounded uncertain.

"It's fine. It's fine, she just hasn't been used in a while, that's all."

"No, I'm talking about the noise."

He looked up, as if noticing the console's silence for the first time. His face looked a little puzzled for a moment.

"Ah…" he said eventually, and turned to look at Ella. She fought hard to keep a straight face. She knew it was that lever which had stopped the noise. "I'd forgotten where the brake was."

Ella looked up at the Doctor in alarm. "You forgot about the _brake_?"

Amy too looked at him confusedly. "Doctor, how can –"

"Oh, don't worry," the Doctor shrugged. "I assume she just turned off the brake. I must've left it on."

"But…but the TARDIS…it always makes that sound," Amy still looked very confused. Ella bit her lip, unable to work out if she was in trouble or not. The Doctor no longer looked perplexed.

"Woah," Ella breathed as her eyes floated past the TARDIS's window. They were no longer in spinning blackness. They had stopped moving. "I think we might be here."

Amy's head whipped round and she looked, slightly dazed, out of the window. If the Doctor was surprised, as Amy seemed to be, he didn't look it. He abandoned whatever he was doing on the console and sauntered towards the door.

"Welcome back," he said as he grabbed the door's handle and swung it open. Light flooded the room, so blinding that Ella had to shield her eyes.

"What do you mean, welcome back?" Amy asked slowly, going to join the Doctor as he stepped out into the sunlight. Ella, recovering from her temporary blindness, hurried over too.

"England, 2029," he grinned, and Ella gave a gasp as she left the TARDIS. They had landed – although she wasn't exactly sure _how _they had landed – in a busy, bustling market town. Looming department stores cast their shadows over the scores of shoppers, who seemed oblivious to the blue telephone box which had just landed on the pavement. Ella recognised it at once.

"Oh my god," she whispered, and the Doctor smiled at her. "What are we…how did we…"

"Home," Amy breathed, slightly shell-shocked.

"I'll leave you two to it," the Doctor said, hovering in the doorway of the TARDIS. Ella looked up at him questioningly. "There's some stuff I've got to do anyway. You go and have a look around."

"Er, no way," Amy replied. "You're not just going to dump us here on the street and fly away. Not going to happen, Doctor."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I'm not moving from here. I've just got to sort out my ship. Poor thing, she's not used to having two crazy humans running about the place. She's probably tired."

Ella felt a pang in her chest at the word 'humans'. She wasn't fully human, she knew that now. But neither the Doctor nor Amy seemed to have noticed anything so she didn't mention it.

Amy opened her mouth in protest.

"Go," the Doctor said firmly, pushing her shoulders lightly towards the square full of heaving people, ignoring Amy's silent protests. "Do some shopping, or whatever you girls do."

"We would if we could," Amy frowned at him. "I didn't exactly have time to grab my money before you kidnapped us."

The Doctor thought for a moment, then reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a dark blue card, about the size of a credit card, and handed it to Amy. Ella peered at it over her mother's shoulder. It _looked _like a credit card, too, with a black strip and shiny hologram. The word "TARDIS" was printed in the top corner, and a series of numbers scrawled along the bottom.

"What the hell…?" Amy raised an eyebrow at the Doctor incredulously.

"Another of my recent…modifications," he said, proudly. "For when money's a bit tight."

"And what does it charge to, the Extra Terrestrial Piggy Bank?" Ella said, and Amy snickered. The whole thing seemed kind of ridiculous.

The Doctor didn't seem to notice the sarcasm. "No, I'm with Nebula Savings."

Ella's mouth dropped open, and Amy held out the card dubiously. The Doctor gave them a wave and disappeared back inside the TARDIS.

"Well," Amy said lightly, once the door had closed. "At least we know he won't run off and leave us stranded. We've got his _card_," she sniggered, and pocketed the credit card.

Ella shivered. It seemed like ages since she had been somewhere cold, what with the TARDIS's heating system.

"Blimey, it's freezing," Amy ran her hands up and down her arms. "It was bloody boiling when we left, now it feels like there should be a snowstorm or something."

"Well, you know what they say…" Ella's teeth were chattering so hard she could barely get the words out. "When the going gets tough…"

"…the tough go shopping!" Amy finished, and she grabbed Ella's hand. They pushed towards the teeming throng of shoppers.

A couple of hours later, Amy and Ella walked out of the third department store they had been to, armed with cappuccinos and a large variety of shopping bags.

"Remind me," Ella said as they sat down – dropping the heavy bags with a few sighs of relief – at a nearby park bench. "Why are we clothes shopping? Have you _seen _the wardrobe he's got in that thing?"

"I think you'll find I have," Amy replied, sipping her drink. "Wardrobes need permanent updating, in case you've forgotten everything I've taught you over the past sixteen years."

"True," Ella agreed, and they sipped their drinks quietly for a bit.

"Hey, what do you think of –" Ella stopped mid-sentence when she realised Amy wasn't listening. She was looking across the market square, an expression of disbelief on her face. Ella squinted, trying to pinpoint a certain something, or someone, amongst the mass of people. She could see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Mum?" she nudged Amy's elbow, but her gaze remained fixed in the distance. Ella looked harder, trying to follow the direction of Amy's eyes. Then she saw it. Or rather, she saw _him_.

A tall, rather skinny man in a zipped-up sweater and jeans was standing still amongst the crowd of moving shoppers. He was staring right at the spot where Amy and Ella were sitting, staring back at him.

"Mum," Ella said quietly, not taking her eyes off the lone standing figure. "Mum, who is that?" Amy didn't answer. "That man. Who is he?"

"Let's go." Amy stood up suddenly, pulling Ella up with her so abruptly that her drink flew out of her hand. She started dragging her away, but Ella jerked her arm away.

"Mum, the stuff!"

"What…?" Amy asked in a dazed voice. She didn't look directly at Ella, but instead looked around with a panicked expression.

"Shopping bags. Come on."

Amy reluctantly allowed herself to be tugged back to the bench. As Ella gathered up all of the bags – Amy's as well as her own – she cast a furtive glance back to the spot where the man was standing. Where the man _had_ been standing, for in the few moments that had passed since Amy had turned away, he had gone.


	23. Chapter 23

Hi everyone, I'm sorry to be a complete pain but I completely missed out this chapter! I somehow just skipped it and went straight on to ch 24 because I'm an idiot. So I had to delete everything and re-upload (it's a very stressful experience), but thank you to whoever it was who pointed out I had uploaded the last chapter twice. Hopefully it's all sorted now. Don't feel you have to re-read them all again. xoxo

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**CHAPTER 23**

"You said it was going to be fine!"

They were back in the TARDIS – still on the ground – and these were Amy's first words as she stumbled through the door. The Doctor looked up from whatever he was doing, startled.

"_What happened?"_ he mouthed across to Ella, who had just entered with the load of shopping bags.

Ella shook her head and shrugged as she dumped the pile of bags on the floor. She followed her mother, who had stormed towards the console where the Doctor stood, looking alarmed.

"You shouldn't have brought us back here, Doctor!"

"Christ, Amy, calm down and tell me what's going on."

"_Calm down_?" Amy shrieked, her voice rising a few thousand decibels (or so it seemed to Ella). "How could you?"

"How could I _what?_"

"He was there! In London. In Leicester bloody Square!"

"Who was there?" the Doctor asked. "Ella, you tell me."

"I dunno," Ella replied. "This man, he was looking at us, I think. I've never seen him before."

"You _shouldn't _have seen him. He shouldn't have seen _us_. This is all some big, stupid mess and I just want to get out of it!"

"Oh no," the Doctor said quietly. "Amy it wasn't…it wasn't –"

"It bloody _was_!" Amy was now circling the console, shaking her arms about in a fashion that would be comical in another situation. Now however, it was distinctly _un_funny_._

Ella and the Doctor could only watch. The Doctor, with the same knowledge as Amy, stuck in a similar trance that Ella had seen only minutes ago on her mother. And Ella herself, unknowing and astonished at the scene that had just occurred.

It was the Doctor who first snapped out of it. He hurried over to Amy, pulling her delicately over to the nearest chair.

"Look, we'll sort it out," he said soothingly. "It'll be fine. He might not even have recognised you."

"Of course he recognised me," Amy said angrily, gripping onto the side of the chair.

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Ella asked loudly, determined not to be forgotten.

"Don't say things like that," Amy replied wearily.

"It's better than saying nothing at all," Ella retorted huffily.

"We might as well tell her," the Doctor reasoned. "She'd find out anyway."

"Not if I had anything to do with it," Amy said fiercely, but unclenched her hand and straightened up in the chair. "Ella, babe."

"Yes?" Ella didn't mean for it to sound so impatient, so rough, but she wanted Amy to hurry up and tell her who the man was.

"Hon, that man we saw? That man was –" she glanced quickly at the Doctor, who nodded once. "That man was Rory Williams."

It took a moment for Ella to absorb and process this information. At first, the name meant nothing to her, but as she cast her mind back to the conversation she'd had with Amy a few weeks ago, it dawned on her.

"Rory…oh. _That _Rory."

"That Rory," Amy nodded.

"And he's in London?"

"Apparently," Amy sighed. "I thought he was back in Leadworth. Although there was no reason why he should be."

"But Leicester Square? On the very day we got here?"

"Maybe he was…" Ella trailed off, suddenly feeling extremely conscious of the two people looking at her. "I dunno," she shrugged. "Maybe he was looking for you."

Amy and the Doctor sat in silence, contemplating this.

"Well, it's not that ridiculous," Ella said defensively. "He knows we lived here, right? And –"

"Does he?" the Doctor interjected. "Does he know you live here? _Lived_ here?"

"We still _live_ here, Doctor," Amy said. "It's still our home. But I don't _think _he knew. It's not like I sent him a card when we moved here."

"But he could have found out, yeah?"

"I don't know, El," Amy said, sounding tired. "I guess he could have found out from someone."

"Auntie Sharon. Must've been," Ella nodded to herself.

"But we've been gone for _weeks_. Obviously she'd have told him we'd disappeared."

"Maybe that's why he c –"

"Actually," the Doctor interrupted. "I made sure to bring us back to the same day you left. You know. Just in case."

All thoughts of Rory Williams left Ella's mind. "The same day? So no one knows we've been away at all?"

"Technically, you haven't. That's the beauty of time."

"Well then," Ella smiled, returning back to the issue at hand. "Maybe he did find out from auntie Sharon."

Amy was shaking her head. "She would've said something. Technically I only saw her, what? Two days ago? She would've rung to tell me that Rory had spoken to her. She always liked him."

"But she's really old. Maybe she forgot."

"Why are you chasing this, El?" Amy said, rather ferociously. Ella took a step back. "He clearly didn't speak to Sharon, now would you just drop it?"

"There's no need to be like that," the Doctor said comfortingly, although Ella really thought he should be comforting _her_. "Calm yourself down, and we can talk this through properly."

"Will you just quit telling me to calm down? How can I? Just when I thought things might possibly be okay – as okay as they can be given this great big bloody mess we're in – _Rory Williams_ pops up and puts us in an even bigger mess!"

"Not if we don't have to see him again," the Doctor said.

"We can't just _not see him again_. He's Rory. All he has to do is to walk across a square and he's back in our lives."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Oh come _on_," Ella groaned. "What's up with you guys? He's just a _man_. It's not like the whole universe changes every time you see him."

Amy's eyes met the Doctor's, who tried to suppress a small smile. Little did Ella know how wrong she really was.


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

Ella left her parents – wow, she still wasn't used to using that word as a plural – to discuss the matter of Rory's return. To her, it didn't seem that big of a deal. So, they had seen Rory. It didn't mean that they couldn't just get on with their lives. Amy seemed the more affected of the two (understandably, given their history), but Ella couldn't wipe away the memory of the Doctor's face when he realised that Rory was in London. They were clearly very close.

She returned to the room that was currently functioning as her bedroom and sat down on the large bed. All her feelings had changed now that she was back on Earth. Whereas before it would have seemed ludicrous for those words – _back on Earth_ – to be said in that particular order, it seemed perfectly natural now. But it also meant that the calmness she had felt after all the crazy news had sunken in was now gone. In its place was the old sense of unease, of not knowing what was around the corner. At least in space she knew: just more and more expansive, black space. On Earth there were buildings, and parks and streets full of people. Lots of people. That was the problem.

Ella suddenly remembered her mobile phone, which she had switched off when she realised there was no signal on the ship. She had been keeping it in one of the dresser drawers, but now she took it out and pushed the little 'on' button. The screen flashed in a series of bright colours and lights, and the tiny photo of her and Zac popped up. Ella avoided looking at it properly and her eyes went immediately to the row of symbols at the top of the screen. There was the battery symbol – still low – and the time. Whereas before it had been going backwards, it seemed to have finally rested on a number. According to the phone, it was 14:38 on 26/09/2029. Next to the numbers was the symbol for signal, and, as she had expected, there was lots of it. Suddenly, without warning, the phone started buzzing in her hand, as the 'New Message' screen flashed again and again. When the buzzing had stopped and the screen read [NEW MESSAGES: 17], Ella clicked on the first message. It was a text from Zac, apparently sent on the 25th. The 25th of October. A month in the future, if the time on her phone was to be believed. She was receiving texts that hadn't even been sent yet.

Trying to suppress a potential brain explosion, Ella slipped the phone into the back pocket of her jeans and walked out of the room. As she entered the control room she saw that Amy and the Doctor were still engrossed in conversation on the sofa. She headed towards the front door.

"Where are you off to?" Amy called out across the room.

"Trying to escape?" the Doctor joked, and Amy burst into a peal of laughter. "See Amy, I knew this would happen. They all grow up eventually and leave. And we're left behind, just sitting by the fire and growing older by the day."

Ella rolled her eyes at them. They looked like a pair of teenagers huddled on the sofa like that. She also noticed the bottle of wine on the coffee table in front of them. That would explain the giggling. "I'm just popping out." She took out her phone and held it up. "Phone signal."

"Ahh, _phone signal_," the Doctor said, as if there was great meaning behind the two words.

Ella wrenched open the door, felt the gust of cool air, and stopped short. Standing in front of her was a man. It was Rory Williams.

She couldn't move. She just stood there, stupidly, open-mouthed, staring at him. His large pale eyes stared unblinkingly back. Ella's lips tried to form the words she was unable to speak.

"Christ Ella, close the door would you?" Ella heard Amy call from inside the TARDIS.

Rory's head turned involuntarily at the sound of Amy's voice, and Ella could see his jaw twitching. He was nervous.

"Uh," he stammered, leaning his hand against the doorframe as if he thought Ella would close it on him. "Hullo."

"Hi," Ella replied. The word was drawn out, longer than its one syllable. "You're Rory." It wasn't a question – she already knew the answer. This was Rory, the man who, in another life, could have been her father.

"Yes."

"Well, I suppose you should…" she trailed off. It wasn't her place to invite him in, but she didn't want to stand out here in the cold with him either.

"Come in?" he asked slowly. Well, he had made the decision for her.

"I guess." She pulled the door in as wide as it would go and stepped back to let him in. He walked hesitantly, and she shut the door quietly behind him.

"Mum, Doctor," she calls out to give them a few seconds of warning. "You've got a…there's someone here to…see you."

"What?" Amy squawked, her voice high and squeaky. Ella groaned inwardly. Not exactly the best condition to be in when meeting your ex-fiancée for the first time in seventeen years. Trust Amy to drown her sorrows in _pinot grigot_. This must've been the Doctor's influence.

Ella began walking towards the area behind the console, where the sofas had been placed. Rory followed, his pace slowing the nearer they got. She heard them before she saw them, their raucous voices filtering through the air and causing Rory to flinch. She to explain to him, to let him know that this wasn't how Amy usually behaved. She was stressed, she needed a break. Something inside of her wanted him to know that.

"I said, there's someone here to see you."

She stopped when she was about six feet away from the sofas. Ella and the Doctor were curled up on the centre one, not touching but close to it. Glancing back, she saw Rory, hovering around the corner of the console.

Amy turned away from the Doctor and looked up at Ella. She hadn't seen Rory yet. "Oh yeah? Who?"

Ella heard Rory take a few steps forward. "Me," he said, and Amy gasped. The Doctor stiffened. "Hello, Amy."


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25**

For the fourth time, Rory reached out his clenched fist to the TARDIS's blue front door. It was a hasty decision, coming here. It hadn't taken long to find the telephone box once he had seen Amy in the square, but now he was here he was unsure. She clearly didn't want to see him; otherwise she wouldn't have run off. But he wanted to see her.

He pulled back his hand – he couldn't do it. He knew nothing about her life now. He'd always assumed she had stayed with the Doctor after he left, but then why was she in London? It was purely coincidental that he was in London too – or at least he tried to convince himself that it was. No, it was stupid him coming here. Amy didn't want him in her life again, she had made that clear. And the kid…he tried to picture her, to build up an image in his mind from the few fleeting seconds he had seen her. But there was nothing. All his attention had been on Amy.

He had just turned away when he heard a noise. When he turned back around he saw that the door was being opened, and there was a girl. A young girl, possibly fourteen or fifteen, clutching a mobile phone. She stared at him, and he stared back, taking her in. Yes, she looked like her. She had her pale round face and light brown eyes. Her hair wasn't red, but that didn't matter.

_"Christ Ella, close the door would you?"_

Her voice. She was inside, perhaps only metres away. She sounded happy; he could hear the laughter in her voice. The girl in front of him – Ella, he assumed – continued to stare at him.

"Uh," he said, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. She made him nervous, and he could feel his clenched hand sweating. "Hullo."

"Hi," she replied. It wasn't a friendly greeting, nor one of malice. She sounded suspicious. "You're Rory."

So she knew. How much had Amy told her about him? The idea that Amy was still thinking about him raised his hopes a little.

"Yes."

"Well," she said. "I suppose you should…" Rory waited to hear the end of the sentence but it never came.

He might as well get it over with. "Come in?" He cringed inside, waiting for her answer. He wasn't sure if he actually wanted to go in anymore, but anything was better than this awkward encounter at the front door.

"I guess," she nodded, and stepped back to let him inside. It was darker than he remembered – although maybe it was because the light outside was so bright. The door thudded shut behind him.

Ella skirted around him and began walking briskly around the console. Rory looked around the room, drinking in the familiar place. Not a lot had changed, a few bits of added furniture here and there but nothing too different.

"Mum, Doctor!" The sound echoed around the large cavernous space. So the Doctor was here, his old friend. Well, why not? It was his ship after all. Nevertheless, if he was going to have to speak to Amy he wanted to do it alone. "You've got a…" he noticed her glance back slightly at him. "There's someone here to…see you."

Rory slowed his pace. Ella was right – it was probably best to give Amy a bit of time before she saw him again.

"What?"

She sounded odd. Not calm – well, she never was – but different. In front of him, he saw Ella stiffen. She carried on walking, and Rory shuffled forward hesitantly. He stopped when he first saw them.

A group of three sofas - a new addition – were arranged around a small table, upon which two glasses and a wine bottle (nearly empty) were placed. Amy was sitting on one of the couches, her legs tucked beneath her. Her hair was loose and unbrushed, flowing past her shoulders. Even from his position, Rory could see the sparkle in her eyes. She was beautiful, just as he'd remembered.

Next to her on the sofa, leaning towards her with one leg bent on the table, was the Doctor. He hadn't changed either. Rory knew about his regeneration and clearly he hadn't experienced it since the last time he saw him. He looked well. That was all Rory could think of to describe him.

"I said, there's someone here to see you."

Amy turned to look up at the girl, a brazen smile on her face. "Oh yeah?" she grinned. "Who?"

Rory sensed his cue. He stumbled away from his hiding place, taking a few steps forward towards the sofas. Amy's head turned slowly.

"Me." The word was soft, almost inaudible even to himself. He heard Amy gasp, all the laughter evaporating from her face. The Doctor looked up at him, his face expressionless. Rory focused on Amy's face, unable to tear himself away now he was this close. "Hello, Amy."

Amy didn't reply. She just blinked her big eyes with their long lashes, any potential tipsiness vanishing as she took him in.

"Rory!" It was the Doctor who broke the silence first. He pushed himself off the sofa so he was upright, and crossed over to where Rory stood. "Blimey."

"Yeah," Rory murmured. "Blimey."

Ella coughed quietly and both men turned to look at her. She blushed. "I'll…I'll just go and…I'll keep out of your way."

"No, Ella, it's fine. Stay. This is R–"

"I know. You go ahead and…catch up." She turned to leave but Amy hurriedly sprung up from the sofa.

"I'll come with you."

Rory saw Ella roll her eyes. "Mum, seriously."

Amy headed over to Ella, her face concealed from Rory. She muttered something to her daughter but it was undistinguishable.

"Don't be silly, mum. You have to stay. Just go, for Christ's sake," Ella replied to whatever Amy had said.

Rory wanted to laugh at the thought of Amy being bossed around. She never let anyone tell her what to do. It was why he loved her. _Used_ to love her.

"Fine," Amy sighed like a petulant child. Ella exited the room, leaving the three adults standing around awkwardly.

"Still wearing the bowtie, I see," Rory nodded at the piece of material around the Doctor's neck. It was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Well, what can I say? Bowties –"

" – are cool," Rory finished, and the Doctor flashed him a brief grin.

"What are you doing here, Rory?" Amy asked, and Rory's stomach churned. He wished it was just him and the Doctor. As great as it was to see Amy again, the thought of a confrontation didn't exactly fill him with pleasure.

"I was just…I saw you."

Amy nodded. So at least she was acknowledging whatever had happened out in the square.

"That girl…is she…is she your…?"

"Yes, Rory. Ella is my daughter." Rory couldn't help but notice the exchange of glances between Amy and the Doctor.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" the Doctor tried to look innocent but failed dismally.

"What I meant to say," Amy burst in quickly, walking towards them. "Was that Ella is _our_ daughter." She stood next to the Doctor, and Rory's heart thudded as he processed the information.

"I think he'd better sit down," the Doctor looked at Rory grimly. He and Amy took hold of one arm each and guided him towards a sofa, where he lowered himself down slowly. His arm still tingled even when Amy removed her hand.

"S-so…" he stumbled, trying to get the words out whilst feeling incredibly conscious of sympathetic stares he was receiving. "So you two…"

"Yeah, we –"

"Let's not go into details," Amy said quickly, throwing a warning glare at the Doctor.

"But what about…" he gulped, and the words came out so quietly that even Rory himself could barely hear them. "What about us?"

Rory refused to look up at their faces, their stupid embarrassed faces. What did they have to be embarrassed about? They hadn't waltzed back into the TARDIS, thinking that everything would go back to normal. They hadn't made complete fools of themselves. No, he couldn't look into their eyes and see their pity. Instead, he stared at the space on the floor between their feet – Amy's blue Chuck Taylors (the shoes were so familiar to him that it seemed to make his heart ache) and the Doctor's black lace-up boots. He could imagine their faces well enough: Amy would be chewing at her lip like she did when the situation became awkward, and the Doctor…he didn't want to think of the Doctor's face right now.

"I didn't know," Amy said softly. Rory thought about looking up, but decided against it. He remained staring at her shoes. "I thought you were dead."

Rory took a deep breath. "I should go," he said resolutely. He stood up, taking care not to let his eyes wander to Amy's face. He knew that if he saw it – if he even glimpsed it – he would not be able to leave again. He might be able to hold himself together if only he could get out the TARDIS without having to see those beautiful eyes again.

He heard no footsteps following him; no voices telling him to _stop_. _Come back_. It was good that he didn't hear these things, he knew it was, and yet he couldn't help wishing that he would feel Amy's hands catch his wrist, pull him back towards her. And he would let her. He would do anything for her.

But she didn't. And he didn't. What Rory did do was to walk to the TARDIS's door without a backwards glance, and wince as the biting wind blew against his cheeks. He didn't let go of his breath until he had heard the door slam shut behind him.


	26. Chapter 26

Just in time for the Christmas special, I've decided to get as many chapters down as I can so that I can (hopefully) reveal some other Doctor's Daughter secrets before they are - potentially - ruined on the 25th. I actually cannot wait, it's possibly the most exciting thing about Christmas this year. Love and stuff, A xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER 26**

Ella, who had tried so hard not to eavesdrop, had chosen the wrong moment to peek through the crack in the door. She hadn't been able to hear the mumbled conversation that had occurred on the other side of the room, yet she had clearly seen the anguish on Rory's face as he walked away.

She stood there, her nose pressed against the doorframe, and waited until the echo of Rory's exit had faded into silence. From her position behind the door, Ella could see nothing but a few curls of Amy's red hair. They weren't talking, just…sitting.

Unable to stand the heavy silence for a moment longer, Ella pushed the door wide, blinking as she stepped out of the softly-lit bedroom towards the lurid blue of the console. She stopped when she reached Amy and the Doctor, who were sitting still on the sofa.

"Mum, I –"

"Not now, El," Amy frowned, and for once, Ella decided to keep her mouth shut. Amy stood up slowly, and shuffled out of the room as Ella and the Doctor watched in quiet concern.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to be rude," the Doctor said, once Amy had closed the door to her room.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ella shrugged, and flopped onto the seat next to the Doctor. "I'm used to it."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Is she like that a lot, then?"

"You know her almost as well as I do, Doctor," Ella replied. "Maybe even more."

"I don't know," the Doctor shook his head. "I always got the feeling she was holding back on me. Deliberately keeping some part of herself hidden."

"I've had that feeling my entire life," Ella said with a wry smile. "Like there was something she was deliberately not talking about. I guess I was right, huh?"

"I guess you were," the Doctor smiled back.

"Doctor." Ella said after a pause.

"Yep?"

"You know something." Her eyes narrowed as she stared into his, trying to work out if her suspicions were correct.

"What?" the Doctor asked, and Ella was sure he was feigning innocent. "What are you on about?"

"You know something important, and you're not telling me."

"I know a lot of things that you don't." The Doctor flashed her a grin. "Such as that the speed of light is nearly three hundred million metres per second, and that the Sun will explode in the year 5 billion, and that –"

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up." Ella rolled her eyes as the Doctor snorted. "And, actually," she continued. "I did know that. About the speed of light, we learnt it in school."

"Oh."

"But the thing about the sun blowing up? That's just…that's just weird. How do you know that stuff?"

"Time traveller, remember? I've seen many things, things that your mind can't even dream of…and yet there's still so much more out there that I don't know."

"I thought you knew everything," Ella grinned cheekily.

"Oh, I don't pretend to know everything. But what's important is that I know far _far_ more things than you."

"Doctor, can I ask you something?"

"Have I ever been able to stop you?"

Ella ignored his comment. "What's your real name?"

"Ah."

"I mean," she persisted. "What kind of a name is _Doctor_?"

"It's a title. It's a custom on Gallifrey to choose an alias for yourself."

"Galli-what?"

"Gallifrey. It's the planet where I'm from."

"Oh," Ella nodded. "So do all people from Galla – galli – that planet have weird names?"

"It depends what you mean by weird. I suppose, to humans, the names of Time Lords would be quite bizarre."

"I'm part-Time Lord," Ella said quietly. "You said I was. My name's not weird."

"It would be to the Gallifreyans," the Doctor pointed out.

"Will you take me?"

"Take you where?"

"To Gallifrey. Please?"

The Doctor hesitated. "I…I don't know. It's complicated."

"It can't be _that _complicated – you keep telling me you're a Time Lord and can do all these amazing things! I've just found out that I'm from another planet, and I'd like to see it. I'd like to know where I'm from."

"There's a lot of stuff you've got to think about, El."

"I can't, if I don't know what to think, can I?" She sighed. "Please tell me your real name."

"Very few people know my name. My proper name."

"Does mum know?"

The Doctor shook his head, and chuckled at Ella's surprised expression. "Weren't expecting that, where you?"

"No."

"Like I said, very few people –"

" – but I'm," Ella interrupted, then stopped short before she had completed the sentence. The words were fully-formed in her mind, but she was struggling to manipulate her mouth into forming them. "I'm…I'm your _daughter_. I'm your family."

This wasn't the first spoken acknowledgment of this fact, and yet it seemed just as significant. The Doctor seemed to sense this, too. He sighed deeply, and turned his body so that he was facing Ella directly.

"I know."

Ella looked up at him, imploringly. "Please," she whispered. "I need this." When the Doctor did not reply, she looked away, embarrassed. "Oh god, I sound so pathetic."

"No, you don't," the Doctor smiled. "You sound like anyone who just wants her questions answered."

Ella nodded.

"You won't be able to pronounce it."

"I don't care."

"Come here," he beckoned, and she leaned in closer, so that the smallest of whispers could be heard. She brushed away the strands of hair that fell across her left ear. Ella listened in silence as the Doctor's greatest secret was revealed to her; and to her only.


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

"Last chance, El. We won't be back for a while."

It had been decided by the inhabitants of the TARDIS that they would leave Earth by Christmas, because, in the Doctor's words, _"Earth just can't deal with Christmas. Bad stuff always happens and I'm usually in the thick of it." _This was the morning of their departure, and after Amy and Ella's most recent foray into the town's extensive shopping centre – probably causing the Doctor thousands of pounds' worth of debt on his Nebula card – they were all gathered around the console once again.

"Speak now, or forever hold your…no, wait. Just speak now or…or never."

"Doctor," Amy replied. "Have I ever told you to just shut up?"

"Frequently."

"Well I'm telling you again."

Whilst Amy and the Doctor bantered away over the console, Ella tried hard not to think of everything she would be leaving behind. This wasn't just a quick trip into space, another kidnapping-type experience that she had already had. This would be her, making the decision to leave her life in London, England, Earth, and to travel around the universe with her parents. She hadn't said goodbye to her friends…to Sharon…to Zac. It would be a clean break.

And if everything worked out to plan, they wouldn't even know she'd gone.

"Quit bickering you two," she scolded playfully. "Let's go."

"You sure?"

"_Yes_, mum."

"Absolutely sure?"

"For gods' sake, Doctor, get a move on."

She let the droning of the console drown out the Doctor's chuckles as she stepped aside, allowing the more practiced members of the crew to take control. She remembered the last time they'd travelled through the time vortex – she made sure her grip on the metal barrier was tight.

The TARDIS was a lot quicker to leave Earth than it was to arrive, and to Ella it seemed a less terrifying experience. As always, however, she had her questions.

"What about the people outside?" she asked the Doctor once they were settled and the whirring sounds had stopped. "Won't they think it's a bit strange if a telephone box suddenly whizzes down the street?"

"Don't you remember when I arrived in your garden?"

"Not really. It's all a bit of a blur."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, well it's not like they can see the TARDIS zoom up into space. It just…disappears."

"Oh. It might be important for me to know this stuff if you're going to take me to Gallifrey."

"What?" Amy called out sharply.

"The Doctor said he'd take me to…" she trailed off as her eye drifted over the Doctor, who was making large "STOP" motions with his hands behind Amy's back.

"He said he'd _what_?" Amy's eyes narrowed as she turned around to face a petrified-looking Doctor.

"Er, nothing," he stammered, taking a few steps back as she advanced towards him.

"I can't believe you promised her that."

"Why not?" Ella said crossly. "I'm half-Time Lord, aren't I?"

"Yes, but that doesn't give him the right to…that place is _dangerous_, Doctor."

"You didn't tell me it was dangerous," Ella looked at the Doctor accusingly. "Anyway, it won't be for me. I'm the same as them. At least, I am partly."

"Now look what you've done," Amy sighed. "Tell me, what else have you promised to her that you can't give?"

The Doctor cast a sharp glance in Ella's direction that went unnoticed by Amy. Ella, however, did not take the hint.

"He told me his name," she professed. "Doesn't that show he trusts me enough?"

Amy looked up at the Doctor, aghast.

"You told her your name."

"I did," he admitted.

"He's my dad!" said Ella hotly. "It shows he trusts me."

"He never told me his name, and I'm his –"

" – his _what_, mum?" Ella hit back. She regretted it as soon as the words had left her mouth. "I am who I am," she said softly. "You've chosen to make this part of my life – yes, I know it wasn't your fault – but it is what it is. I'm part-alien, part-Time Lord, whatever you want to call it. And it's a part of me that I just have to know about."

"And what are you going to do?" Amy said sourly, but Ella could sense the defeat in her voice. "Change your name? Take on a title like the other Time Lords?" She laughed bitterly.

"Maybe," Ella said, failing in her attempt to keep a straight face.

"I'm off to bed. You should go too, El."

"I will, in a minute."

Amy looked deliberately away from the Doctor as she passed him, but as she reached Ella she stopped.

"Night, mum," Ella said quietly.

Amy held out her arms and Ella leaned into them. They shared a fleeting hug before pulling apart.

"No more planning behind my back, the pair of you. Okay?"

Ella grinned. "We'll try."

Amy's hand lingered on her daughter's arm for a brief moment, before she retreated into her room.

"Well, that was fun," the Doctor remarked when he and Ella were alone. "It always ends up with her going to bed. We're not that boring are we?"

"I didn't realise she'd take it that badly."

"Honestly, you need to work on your subtlety. Did you not get my gestures?" He repeated the motions with his hands and Ella snorted.

"Oh, is that what you were doing? I thought you were having a spasm or something."

"She's changed. She'd normally have jumped at the chance to visit Gallifrey."

"I think we've established that the mum I know is very different to the one you knew."

The Doctor sighed. "She'd probably say the same thing about me."

"Probably."

"I hope you didn't mean all that stuff about taking on a Time Lord's title."

"Why not?" Ella frowned. "You told me your name."

"Yes, you keep saying that. But can you actually remember it?"

"Of course, just don't make me say it out loud."

The Doctor laughed. "You should go with 'Pond'. I've always like the name Pond."

Ella's face wrinkled in disgust. "Really? I _hate_ it. I've been trying practically all my life to get mum to change it."

"What would you change it to?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "Something fancier, I guess. Something more exotic."

"Maybe you should let your Time Lord name be exotic."

Ella looked up at him slyly. "Is this your way of saying you'll let me be a Time Lord like you?"

"No." He smiled at Ella's disappointed expression. "But I never say never. Just for fun, though, what exactly would you name yourself?"

"What are the rules?"

"It's complicated…"

"I'm not stupid. Tell me."

"I know you're not stupid, it's just – "

"Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"Not half as annoying as you."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, you haven't seen the worst of me yet."

"Tell me!"

"Oh crumbs. Alright then. Basically, a Time Lord has, understandably, a different awareness of time to other creatures."

"Very understandable," Ella agreed. "Given that they're –"

" – Time Lords, exactly." The Doctor was talking very fast now, and Ella was finding herself struggling to keep up. "So, whilst a Time Lord's real name is pretty much unpronounceable by humans – a Time Lord's name length depends on their status, you see –"

" – you must be bloody important, then."

"Indeed. Well, a Time Lord's _title _is different. This name is given based on how a Time Lord _perceives _time."

When the Doctor did not continue, Ella was granted a few moments' of quiet to absorb this new information. _So_, she thought, _if the Doctor's name was given to him because of his view on the matter of time…then it must be because he is a Doctor of Time? _Given all that Amy had told her of her escapades with the Doctor, this idea seemed to fit: he did indeed travel around the Universe, going back – and forward – in time in order to fix things and to make things better. _Finally_, she thought again. _Something he's saying is actually making sense_.

"But I don't see time as anything other than…well, _time_," she pointed out.

"Carry on travelling with me and you'll think differently, I'm sure."

"Then I can't have a name just yet, can I?"

The Doctor folded his arms. "Just out of interest, what title would you give yourself?"

Ella thought for a moment but came up with nothing. "You tell me."

"Like you just said – you don't think of time as anything other than a set course: there is one path and one outcome only."

Ella looked up at him sceptically. "I guess…"

"Kind of like a river…" the Doctor mused.

"I like that. River. Much more exotic than 'Pond' anyway."

The Doctor chuckled. "River it is then. For the moment at least. We'll work on the rest a bit later."


	28. Chapter 28

HEY EVERYONE! Sorry it's been so ridiculously long (it's been what, four months?) but here's a little teaser of what is to come once I've got some free time. Have fun...

* * *

Ella emerged from the en-suite bathroom feeling full of vitality and strangely optimistic. She had decided the night before that she would no longer worry about the life she had left behind on Earth, and would instead devote herself fully to finding out more about the life ahead of her. She knew that she would never be able to go back – she could be there physically, return to the tedious routine of school and social life, but she had finally come to terms with the fact that her heart would always be with the TARDIS. She could finally understand her mother's inherent need to step back onto the TARDIS when it had appeared in their garden all those weeks ago. She herself felt the pull more than ever, like a magnet was dragging her towards the pulsing light of the console in the centre of the ship.

She wrapped one of the large, fluffy white towels (that the TARDIS so helpfully provided) around herself, twisting her long brown hair into a scruffy knot on the top of her head. Thinking it was early enough to risk a trip to the TARDIS's well-stocked kitchen, she slipped out of her bedroom and felt the cool metal floor of the console room beneath her feet.

Scurrying around the large, raised console, Ella permitted herself a glance into a blackened metal panel on the side of one of the machines. She flicked a stray hair away from her face and straightened the towel around her knees. It was then that Ella realised she was not alone. Two figures could be made out in the reflective panel, watching her every move. With a squeak of surprise and terror, Ella jumped around and clutched the towel to herself. The Doctor was standing on the other side of the room, chuckling loudly. Standing next to him was a boy Ella had never seen before.

"Morning," the Doctor said cheerily, but Ella could not reply. She was frozen to the floor, paralysed with shock and embarrassment, and even if she had wanted to speak, no sound would have escaped her mouth, which hung open, aghast.

"Nice singing, by the way," the Doctor continued. "I particularly liked the harmony in verse four. Very creative, if slightly off-key. Might I recommend soundproofing your door?"

It took Ella a brief moment to work out what the Doctor was talking about, but when she did she felt her face turn an unpleasant shade of beetroot.

"What did you think, Dorian?" the Doctor said, turning to the person on his right. Ella had forgotten the boy's presence in her humiliation, but now she turned to look at him. He was quite tall, nearly the Doctor's height, but his age was hard for Ella to guess. He could have been anything from fifteen to twenty.

The boy grinned, displaying a set of perfect white teeth. "I agree, Doctor. The bridge was particularly entertaining." He flashed his smile at Ella, who couldn't help thinking that the boy seemed rather cocky and over-confident. She did not return the smile, instead giving him a piercing glare and turning to face the Doctor again.

"Who is this?" she demanded, refusing to look at the boy, who had made a slight noise of amusement.

The Doctor glanced at the boy, then at Ella, then at the boy again. "Dorian," he said simply.

Ella sighed inwardly, wishing that the Doctor would stop being so bloody difficult, when all she wanted to do was to run back to her bedroom and hide for about forty years.

"I got that," she said tersely. "But what's he doing in the TARDIS?"

"Dorian is a Time Lord," the Doctor said slowly, as if by stating the words at a glacial pace it would somehow make Ella understand them better. "And a bloody good one, at that." Dorian grinned again; Ella feel slightly nauseated. She couldn't help feeling surprised at the Doctor's words, but she was determined not to show it in front of them both.

"And why is he on the TARDIS?" she said through gritted teeth. It was quite difficult to remain composed when she was standing naked – apart from a towel, which she now thought was far too small – in front of the Doctor and this boy.

"Oh," the Doctor said jovially. "He thought he'd drop in to say 'hello'. He came last night when you were in bed. Bit of a surprise, actually. He literally did 'drop in'. Your mum and I were –"

"Christ," Ella muttered, bracing herself for the rest of the Doctor's sentence.

" – having tea and jammy dodgers – actually, remind me to stock up on the jammy dodgers, all we've got left is custard creams and that reminds me a little too much of fish fingers – and all of a sudden, he pops up out of nowhere."

"Did he?" Ella said, raising an eyebrow. She was trying very hard to maintain the appearance of being aloof, but it was tricky when she knew how much of an idiot she must look.

"Sorry about that, Doc," Dorian smirked, trying to look sheepish. He was failing miserably, Ella noted with a scowl. And _Doc_? She had never, ever heard the Doctor being referred to as _Doc_. And she, Ella, had been told his full name. This reminder boosted Ella's confidence slightly. If only she could remember what it was…

"I didn't mean to interrupt you and Amy," Dorian continued, and Ella's mouth fell open in protest. _Amy?_ she scowled to herself. _How dare this little boy call Amy by her first name_? _He had absolutely no right to do that. He should call her 'Ms Pond', or something. _

She was just about to confront the Doctor about the injustice of it all, when Dorian infuriated her even further by speaking again.

"Doctor, I think we should let Little Miss Pond get herself dressed. It's quite chilly in here, after all." He threw what he must have presumed to have been a winning smile at Ella – _well, it's not winning _me _over_, she thought crossly – and the Doctor nodded.

"Yes, good idea. Ella, why don't you go and put on a dress, something nice for our visitor? If you look in the wardrobe I'm sure you'll find something. I came across a spectacular pair of dresses from the '20s the other day. All sparkly and spangly – an absolute must on a dress, if you ask my opinion. Although the towels here _are_ rather cosy…"

Ella did not hear the rest of the Doctor's sentence, as she had mustered all of the (little) dignity she had left, and had stalked out of the control room. She had tried to keep her head held high, but she was struggling to keep a firm grip on her towel and on her hair, which had just slid out of the knot she'd put it in earlier.

"If you're going to have another shower, could I possibly request a song?" she heard Dorian call out as she bolted into her bedroom.

Once she had slammed the heavy door shut behind her, she scrambled to the chest of drawers at the foot of her bed, and pulled out the scruffiest jeans she could find. There was no way she was going to dress up for that stupid, _idiot_ boy, Dorian. She had barely managed to restrain herself when he had called her 'Little Miss Pond'; it was the one moment when she had been glad she _had_ been wearing a towel, because if she hadn't been concentrating so hard on keeping it straight she may just have walked over to them and slapped them both.

Once she had dressed – she had also chosen an oversized, faded t-shirt to add to the general effect – she took a few moments to compose herself before returning to the control room. Standing in front of the full-length mirror in the corner, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her face seemed to have returned to its normal shade, although she was not certain this would last if she were to see the obnoxious Dorian again.


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

The Doctor watched Dorian out of the corner of his eye as Ella's bedroom door slammed shut. It was cruel to tease her, he knew that, but Ella was so much like her mother that in some obscure way it fascinated him. Seeing her fiery temper reminded him so much of how angry Amy could get when she was annoyed.

Dorian's arrival had been a bit of a surprise – it was unusual for the TARDIS to have visitors, especially uninvited ones. Not that he wasn't welcome – once the Doctor had gotten over the initial shock of seeing the young man peering bemusedly out from behind the console, he found he was rather enthusiastic. The recent arrival of Amy and Ella had reminded him of how lonely he had been for seventeen years, and with this in mind, the Doctor was running on a 'the more the merrier' policy.

He had not seen Dorian for many years. The son of an old Prydonian Academy classmate, the last time the Doctor had seen Dorian and his mother was just before the events of The Last Great Time War. The Doctor had presumed they had both died in the War, but clearly Dorian had survived, judging by his sudden appearance in the TARDIS.

Amy had taken it rather well, considering the Doctor himself was so baffled by Dorian's unexpected arrival. Her first reaction, when she had turned around to see the boy standing in the middle of the TARDIS's floor, had been to grab the tomato ketchup bottle from the table in an attempt to find some sort of weapon to fight this intruder. Fortunately the Doctor had grabbed her hand before she had thrown the glass container. _"I would rather you didn't throw that_," he had said. _"I got it imported directly from 18th Century Tuscany." _

Once Dorian had deemed Amy sane enough to approach, the Doctor had greeted the boy like he would have greeted Dorian's mother, once upon a time. They had chatted away for most of the night, but the Doctor was careful not to mention one topic in particular. Now, however, he felt it was time his questions were answered.

"Dorian," he began, trying to keep his face neutral whilst inside he was preparing himself for the worst. It was too much to hope that Dorian had not escaped alone. He would not be able to face the boy if he knew that his mother had been killed because of his own actions. "Dorian, where is your mother?"

Bracing himself, the Doctor looked for a sign on the boy's handsome face, but to his astonishment – and very little could astonish the Doctor – it broke into a wide, mischievous smile.

"Well," Dorian grinned. "If my calculations are correct…she's right outside the door."


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

"_I hear they're all calling you 'The Doctor', now."_

_Her smile was as dazzling as it always was, but the look in her eyes was one of sadness. The Doctor longed to pull her into a final hug – and was on the verge of doing so – but realised that, if he _were_ to wrap his arms around her pale, slender shoulders, he may never let go. Instead, he returned her smile, though he knew that it matched the sorrow of her black, sparkling eyes. _

"_You've heard correctly," he replied, straining against the desire to beg her to stay. "It's sort of stuck, and whilst it's quite endearing it's also rather confusing. They call my name and for several seconds I have no idea who they're talking to."_

"_It's quite an honour," she said, pretending to be stern. "Don't you go taking advantage of their respect."_

_They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, evidently both fighting the similar battles. She was fighting against her longing to stay, to forget the plans she had been making for months. He, the Doctor, would be fighting a much larger, though no less painful, battle – he just didn't know how painful it would be yet. _

"_I've got to go," she whispered, in an attempt to appease the pleading in his eyes. "I have to."_

"_I know."_

"_He'll want to say goodbye to you."_

_The Doctor nodded, terrified of what he might say if he allowed himself to speak. _

_She left the room, returning a few moments later with a small child balanced on her hip. He was his mother in miniature – dark curls framed a pale heart-shaped face, his dark eyes lighting up as he caught sight of the Doctor. _

"_Hey, little man," the Doctor said quietly, his voice cracking slightly. _

_The boy stretched out his small arms in greeting, and he leaned towards the Doctor. _

"_I can't," the Doctor pleaded, turning away from the boy to focus on his mother. "I won't be able to…"_

_She nodded in understanding, and smiled sadly once more. _

"_Bye, Doctor," she said, with a sense of finality. "We'll see you when…we see you."_

_The Doctor nodded – he knew better than anyone that promises couldn't be made at a time like this. A promise hadn't been able to save those he had already loved and lost. "I'll see you. Stay safe." He tried to put everything into those last two words – all his feelings he couldn't act upon, all the things he wished he could say had it not been too late – and her final glance back as she and her son left the room indicated that she understood this. He waited until every trace of her was gone – until the sound of the door closing had stopped echoing throughout the empty house, until her scent became hazy and finally disappeared altogether – and then the Doctor sank into the armchair by the empty fireplace. _

_She was gone. They were all gone now. He would now be able to focus everything on the task he was destined to undertake. And nothing was standing in his way. _


	31. Chapter 31

Sorry that the last one was a bit dull and confusing. I probably should've mentioned that it was a flashback. Ah well. Because I'm so bad at updating it's probably best to look over the past couple of chapters 'cos even I get confused about what the hell is going on. Love you guys, A xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER 31**

The sound of voices was enough to drag Amy from the comfort of the bedroom and into the control room. She had completely forgotten about Dorian's arrival until now, and she smiled to herself, wondering how Ella would react. She hoped that she would see Ella's face when she first laid eyes upon the handsome stranger.

She sauntered into the control room, readying herself for Ella's reaction. She listened for Ella's voice through the jumble of conversation she could hear, but although she recognised two of them – the Doctor's and Dorian's – the third did not sound like her daughter. Curious, she shuffled around the wide metal console, stopping short when she caught sight of the three people by the front door.

Yes, there was the Doctor…and there was Dorian. But they had been joined by someone else – not Ella, but a woman who Amy had never seen before. She edged a little closer, so that she could hear the muffled conversation between the three of them. However, her eyes, concentrating on the woman, failed to notice the large metal lever that was sticking out of the console. As she crept around it in a wide circle, shuffling to ensure minimal noise, her foot caught on the lever and she tripped.

Her fall seemed to last for an eternity, but eventually she crashed to the ground, just feet from the Doctor and the two newcomers. Slowly, and rather painfully, she got to her feet. The Doctor was wearing an expression of amusement; the woman looked distinctly surprised. Dorian's face was harder to read – one eyebrow was raised which gave him that haughty appearance that Amy so hated, but the twitch of his mouth suggested that he was repressing an urge to burst out laughing.

"They do seem to like making a dramatic entrance," Dorian said, turning to the Doctor.

Amy had no idea what Dorian was talking about, but guessed it had something to do with her fall. She looked at the Doctor, staring into his eyes, daring him to laugh. It satisfied her that he now looked more sober – she would not let him laugh at her in front of his friends.

Now that she had the Doctor sorted, she turned her attention to the newest member of their party. From this vantage point, she could take in more of the woman's appearance. She was as beautiful as Dorian was handsome. They shared the same pale skin, dark hair and black eyes. Both had identical high cheekbones and arching eyebrows, giving them a look of haughty disdain when they weren't smiling. Amy had to admit that, whilst she saw Dorian as just a young boy, she was rather intimidated by this tall newcomer. Dressed in a long, black dress that showed off her impressive figure, Amy felt extremely underdressed in her jeans and jumper.

"Hiya," she said, trying to sound cheerful, but really wishing that she could go and stand next to someone who wasn't so striking. Amy was tall herself, but next to the woman she felt a bit like a child. "I'm Amy Pond. And you are…?"

The Doctor seemed to find his voice. "Ah yes. Amy, this is my dear friend...um…well, what are you calling yourself nowadays?"

Amy was startled by the Doctor's question. Surely if this person was so 'dear' to him, they would at least be on first-name terms.

The woman smiled serenely, displaying a set of perfect white teeth. "Why, sweetie, you may call me Regina, as you always have done."

Amy's eyebrows shot up. _Sweetie_? Instinctively, she inched closer to the Doctor, so that they were nearly touching. This didn't seem to have any effect on Regina, however, for she continued to smile that perfect smile.

"You have met my son, Dorian?" Regina continued, and Amy nodded. "I must apologise for his impromptu arrival last night. I told him to wait until morning but Dorian is just far too impatient." She laughed, and Amy was surprised by how girlish a laugh it was. She had expected a loud boom from the statuesque woman, but instead it reminded her somewhat of a fairy.

The fond way in which Regina was gazing at her son reminded Amy of something, and she straightened up a little.

"Yes, I've met Dorian. Have you met Ella yet?"

"Ella?" Regina enquired, her head tilting slightly. Amy saw something flash across Dorian's face at the mention of Ella's name, but by the time her eyes had met his, it was gone.

"Yes," Amy said, putting her arm lightly on the Doctor's. "Yes, _our_ daughter, Ella."

If Amy was hoping for any particular reaction from either Regina or the Doctor, she did not get one. Instead, the Doctor's expression changed from faintly amused to mildly confused, whilst Regina remained impassive.

"I have not," Regina said, almost apologetically. "But Dorian told me all about her."

This surprised Amy so much she forgot that she was meant to be acting more confident than she was.

"You've met Ella?" she asked, turning to Dorian.

He nodded, and she could have sworn she saw a fleeting grin pass between Dorian and the Doctor. She chose to ignore it – she would have a go at the Doctor later.

Her reply was halted by the sound of feet shuffling along the grilled metal floor. Amy turned – as did the Doctor, Regina and Dorian – to see her daughter walking slowly towards them. If Amy looked scruffy in comparison to Regina, it was nothing compared to how Ella was dressed. She was sporting a scruffy jeans-and-shirt combo and her old converses, a fact that the Doctor seemed to find particularly amusing, for even under Amy's glare he was unable to suppress a snort.

"Ah," Regina trilled. "This must be the famous Ella."

Ella, who had been avoiding both the Doctor and Dorian's gaze, did a double-take at the sight of Regina.

"Who are you?" she exclaimed, apparently too surprised at this latest arrival to care if she sounded rude.

"This is Regina," Amy cut in quickly. "The Doctor's…_friend_. Right?"

"We're very good friends, aren't we sweetie?" Regina agreed, and Amy felt that inexplicable instinct to reach for the Doctor once again. The Doctor himself seemed to be enjoying Amy's discomfort too much to cut in himself.

"Right," Ella nodded, although she looked as confused as Amy felt. "No offence or anything…it's really nice to have you guys here and everything…but what are you actually here _for_?"

"Well that's a story and a half," Dorian replied, as the Doctor chuckled.

"I think," Regina said, once the Doctor's laughter had subsided, "that you and Dorian should go off and…and get to know each other a little bit…"

As Dorian and Ella slouched into one of the TARDIS's many reception rooms – Ella rather reluctantly, Amy couldn't help but notice – she turned her attention back to Regina.

"Right –" Amy began.

"I think we all need to –" the Doctor interjected.

"Have a bit of a catch up," Regina finished.

_Too right_, Amy thought, as she followed the two glamorous Time Lords. _I think 'a bit of a catch up' is exactly what we need._


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

Ella entered the room ahead of Dorian, determined not to meet his amused gaze. She stared around the small chamber into which they had walked; she hadn't chosen the room specifically – in fact, she had been concentrating so hard on avoiding Dorian's eye that she had opened the first door she reached. She couldn't remember ever being in this particular room before.

Dorian had sauntered past her, and had settled himself into a dark red armchair in the centre of the room. Ella scowled and crossed her arms huffily, moving over to the other end of the room.

"Your mother seems…nice," Dorian said, breaking the heavy silence that had settled in the few minutes they had been in the room.

Ella turned to him in surprise, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be ignoring him.

"What do you mean?"

Dorian shrugged. "Mine can be a bit much sometimes."

Ella snorted with laughter. "You clearly don't know my mum very well, if you think _yours _is a bit much. What's up with your mum and the Doc – my dad – then?"

Dorian paused for a moment, and Ella noticed a slight crease appearing between his two dark eyebrows.

"They're…they're friends."

Ella rolled her eyes. "Right," she said sardonically. "Just friends? I don't know about you but I don't call my friends '_sweetie_."

Dorian gave her a small smile. "Ah."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Ella replied, scowling again.

"Now I see why you asked."

Ella's eyebrows shot up. "I asked because I was making polite conversation. I don't have some ulterior motive, you know."

"You're jealous."

Ella's mouth fell open in a mixture of shock and outrage. "_What_?"

"You're jealous, or at least your mother is."

Ella tried to come up with a retort, but although her lips attempted to form words no sound escaped them. The idea that she was jealous of Dorian, or his mother, was absurd.

Dorian cocked his head and smirked. "Gotcha," he said slyly.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Ella snapped, finding her voice. "Why would we be jealous of you? You've only just got here!"

Dorian gave a slight laugh, as if he were waving away her response.

"Why on _earth_ do you think we're jealous of _you_?"

"Didn't you see the way your mother was clinging to the Doctor?" he said scathingly. "She was sticking to him like a leech."

"Yeah," replied Ella quickly, floundering to formulate a decent argument. "Well why did _your _mum call him _sweetie_? That's a bit weird for someone who hasn't seen him in years."

Dorian shrugged again, but then grinned widely. Ella was blinded slightly by the whiteness of his teeth.

"What?" she said crossly, wishing he would stop smiling. It was as if he knew he was even more handsome when he smiled. _That's probably why he's doing it_, she reminded herself.

"We could find out," he said, still grinning.

"Um…what do you mean?"

"Come on…" he glanced towards the door which led back out to the control room. "We could listen in."

Ella chewed her bottom lip, contemplating what Dorian had just said. "You want…to eavesdrop? On _them_?"

Dorian sighed deeply, looking disappointed. "All you seem to do is ask questions. Don't you _want _to find out what's going on? I know I do. I thought _you _had more bottle."

"_Bottle_?" Ella said. "I've probably got more bottle than you've got in your little finger. I'm the world champion at eavesdropping."

Dorian grinned again. "Then what's the problem?"

"So many questions…" Ella rolled her eyes, but she returned his smile. "I've sort of given myself a non-New Year's-New Year's resolution –"

"What's "New Year's'?" Dorian asked, looking puzzled. "I may know nearly everything, but I _am _Gallifreyan. We don't have all this –"

"I'll explain later," Ella interrupted. "Look, recently I've found that listening in on private conversations tends to lead to a great deal of trouble. The amount of unexpected revelations –"

"_Exactly_," Dorian smirked. "Revelations. That's what we want, isn't it? Answers? Look, if you don't want to I'll just go by myself."

He stood up, and without saying anything he headed towards the door.

"Wait," Ella said loudly. She paused for a moment. _What harm is there in just listening to what they're saying?_ she thought. _They are my parents, after all. _"I'll go with you."

Dorian didn't reply, but he did flash her another grin as they creaked open the heavy door.

_Maybe he's not as bad as I thought he was_, Ella admitted to herself, as she felt Dorian's arm brush her own as they crept out of the room. Nevertheless, he _had _made fun of her shower singing. _He might not be as obnoxious as I thought, _she mused. _But I still don't like him. _

* * *

**I'm trying to see if I can get a chapter published every day this week. No promises, but I really want to get some stuff out of the way before the mid-season finale this Saturday...**

**Please review, I love reviews like a fat kid loves cake :P **

**A xoxo**


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

"Right. What's going on?" Amy asked her question as soon as she was sure that Ella and Dorian were out of earshot. She addressed the Doctor, and she saw Regina turn to him too. The Doctor withered under both of their expectant gazes, and he spluttered.

"You're asking _me_?" he choked, a mingled expression of confusion and fear on his face. He looked at Regina accusingly. "_I'm_ not the one who turns up in someone's TARDIS without any warning whatsoever – not that I'm not thrilled you're here, of course –"

"Doctor," Amy groaned. "Seriously…what's going on here? Who _are_ these people?" She threw a look of apology at Regina, who did not look offended. Instead, she exchange glances with the Doctor, and took a deep breath.

"We're Time Lords," she smiled at Amy, who tried hard to keep her expression impassive. "We come from Gallifrey."

Amy looked quizzically at the Doctor, whose face was solemn. "Time Lords?" she turned back to the Doctor. "But I thought you said you were the last one? Or something?"

Regina raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"_Well?_" Amy insisted.

"It's rather difficult to explain," Regina said, and continued quickly before Amy could object. "All that's important to know, for now, is that the Doctor did not know that Dorian and I were alive before today. Am I right, Doctor?"

The Doctor grimaced, and Regina seemed to take that as a reasonable answer.

"The Doctor and I were…were very good friends," Regina explained. Amy crossed her arms but allowed Regina to continue uninterrupted. "I returned because I need his help."

The Doctor's expression turned to one of surprise. "As usual," he said cheerily. "That's what they always want. They always think the Doctor can sort out everyone's problems –"

"Well you are called 'the Doctor'," Amy reasoned.

"Very true," agreed Regina.

"What's the problem this time?" the Doctor sighed.

Regina hesitated for a moment, glancing sideways at Amy.

"You can trust her," the Doctor said simply. "Well, I think you can trust her. Swear on something important, Pond."

"You what?"

"Swear on something important that you won't…won't…I'm not really sure. What's she swearing on again?"

"I swear on your stupid little bowtie that I won't do whatever you don't want me to do. If that makes sense."

"Of course it doesn't make sense," the Doctor said happily. "But that's just what we need. And, just for the record, bowties are cool."

"I need your help finding someone, Doctor," Regina said quickly, cutting across Amy's retort about the bowtie.

"Someone _specific_, or are we just guessing?" the Doctor enquired.

"Someone specific."

"Damn. I was looking forward to a little game of Universe lottery. Any other information you'd like to share with us before we start out on this impossible mission?"

Regina nodded, her eyes sweeping the room once more as she leaned in slightly closer to the Doctor. Amy automatically leaned in too.

"I need help finding Dorian's father."

"His _father_?" the Doctor repeated, wide-eyed, as if it had never occurred to him that Dorian might have had a father at one point.

"No need to look so surprised, Doctor," Amy said drily. "Most people tend to have one. But then I forgot…Time Lords and all that…"

"It's not just that," Regina continued. She turned so that she was facing the Doctor, her dark eyes matching his green ones. "There's something else."

"There always is…"

"I'm in trouble."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, and Amy leaned in slightly closer. She was too intrigued by what Regina was about to say to get stroppy about being left out of the conversation.

"Oh yeah?" said the Doctor quietly. "What kind of trouble is that?"

Regina sighed deeply, evidently reluctant to admit whatever she was about to. "Big trouble. I'm…I'm on the run."

"On the run from who?" Amy burst in, unable to help herself. Both the Doctor and Regina turned to face her, startled, as if they had only just remembered she was there. "Sorry," Amy blushed. "Carry on."

Regina turned her body slightly so that Amy was more included, but her eyes remained on the Doctor. "You know who."

"I do?" said the Doctor in surprise.

Regina nodded gravely. "Think about it."

"Oh. _Oh_."

"What?" Amy cut in again. "What's going on, Doctor?"

"Regina, where is your TARDIS?" the Doctor said quickly, ignoring Amy's question.

"I'm sure if you looked out of your window you could see it," she smiled, although it looked a little strained.

"Right. You" – he pointed at Regina – "and I" – he pointed to himself – "need to talk. We'll go there."

Amy frowned. "Wait, Doctor –"

"And _you_," the Doctor interrupted, gesturing at her, and turning his own eyes to Amy's. "Will stay right here. With Dorian and Ella."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"No buts. For once I am insisting that you stay out trouble. Regina and I need to discuss some things and I would prefer it if my ship was in one piece when I got back."

"This is ridiculous, Doctor. I'm not a child, so stop treating me like one."

"You're right, it is. In comparison to me, you're basically a toddler. And I'm not treating you like a child, I just want you to be safe. I'll see you later." He offered her a small smile as he led Regina by the arm towards the TARDIS's front door. Amy didn't return it. She was fuming.


	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER 34**

Ella followed Dorian out of the room, allowing the door to creak softly closed behind her. Dorian moved swiftly but silently towards the console, and gestured for Ella to follow. She cursed her Converses for being so much noisier than Dorian's shoes – they looked like brogues but she couldn't be sure – but the conversation that was occurring on the other side of the console was loud enough to mask any noise her shoes were making.

"Big trouble," Regina was saying as they crept closer. "I'm…I'm on the run."

Ella cast Dorian a sideways glance, but his expression gave nothing away. She leaned in closer.

"On the run from who?" asked Amy. There was a slight pause. "Sorry. Carry on."

Regina spoke again. "You know who."

Ella glanced at Dorian again, and although his expression remained impassive there was a sober edge to it – his eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was set firm. It looked as though his teeth were clenched.

"I do?" asked the Doctor, and Ella turned away from Dorian so that she could listen.

"Think about it."

"Oh," said the Doctor. "_Oh_."

"What?" Amy said sharply. "What's going on, Doctor?"

"Regina, where is your TARDIS?" Ella felt annoyed for Amy's sake that her question had gone unanswered. Plus, she had been hoping for an answer to the question herself.

"I'm sure if you looked out of your window you could see it."

"Right. You and I need to talk. We'll go there."

"Wait, Doctor –" Amy spoke again.

"And _you_," said the Doctor. "Will stay right here. With Dorian and Ella."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"No buts. For once I am insisting that you stay out trouble. Regina and I need to discuss some things and I would prefer it if my ship was in one piece when I got back."

"This is ridiculous, Doctor. I'm not a child, so stop treating me like one."

Ella wanted to shout out something – she wasn't quite sure what, it just seemed to be a good moment to shout something – but Dorian had grabbed her shoulder. He nodded towards the front door, and Ella could hear the Doctor's footsteps moving around the console. Ella and Dorian crept around the edge of the console, trying to keep in time with the Doctor's movements so that they wouldn't be spotted by any of them.

"You're right, it is ridiculous. In comparison to me, you're basically a toddler. And I'm not treating you like a child, I just want you to be safe. I'll see you later."

The Doctor and Regina appeared on the other side of the console where Dorian and Ella had just been standing. They watched as the Doctor, grasping Regina's pale white arm, stalked towards the front door and opened it. He and Regina were gone in an instant, the door closed, and the place was silent.

"You can stop hiding now," Amy said loudly, making both Ella and Dorian jump. They turned around to see her standing, her expression still angry – Ella hoped it wasn't at her– right behind them.

"Sorry," Dorian grinned sheepishly.

"Jesus, Ella," Amy sighed. "What have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"To not do it," Ella replied. "Or at least, not get caught."

"Exactly."

"To be fair, it was all my idea," Dorian admitted.

"Mum, what was that all about?" Ella asked, but Amy wasn't listening. She still looked incredibly irritated, and had grabbed her bag from where it sat on a ledge on the console.

"Right, I've had enough of this," she said, to nobody in particular.

"Enough of what?"

"That…bloody…Doctor," Amy said through gritted teeth, as she opened the bag and searched inside of it for something. "Thinking he can just…do…what he likes…"

"What are you doing?" Ella said sharply.

"I am going to…" Amy began, but trailed off as she peered into her bag.

"Going to _what_?" Ella demanded.

"Going to," – Amy pulled out something from her bag with a triumphant expression, - "call _Rory_."

Ella's jaw dropped as she saw the mobile phone in Amy's hand.

"Can I ask _why_?" she spluttered once she had recovered.

Amy shrugged as she navigated the phone. "The Doctor's annoying me." She muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

"Right." Ella nodded. "That makes perfect sense."

"It does?" cut in Dorian, who looked thoroughly perplexed.

"Of course it doesn't!" Ella snapped. "Mum, how does calling Rory stop the Doctor annoying you? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Amy looked up, momentarily distracted from the phone. "I'm sorry? You live with the Doctor, and you think _I'm _ridiculous?"

"Fair enough," Ella conceded. "But you seriously think calling Rory back is going to help things? I know I don't know him that well – don't know him at all, in fact – but don't you think he'll be a _little _pissed off if you drag him back here?"

"He probably will," Amy nodded, turning back to the phone.

Ella exhaled loudly. "But isn't it the _Doctor _who you're supposed to be annoying?"

"It is. If there's one thing that will annoy the Doctor the most, it's calling Rory back."

"Mum, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but seriously, I actually _know _the Doctor. He is my _dad_, after all. I don't think Rory is too high up there on his priorities right now."

Amy shrugged. "Look, just watch his face when he comes back to find Rory here. Ah-_ha_." The phone had suddenly emitted a burst of noise, and Amy punched the air in triumph. "Got it."

She held the phone up to her ear and turned away from Ella and Dorian.

"What the hell?" Ella demanded, moving closer. "How are you doing that?" When she got no response from Amy, she turned to Dorian. "How is she doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Using her phone! How is she getting _signal_? We're in the middle of space, for heaven's sake."

Dorian frowned. "Don't mobile phones usually work on TARDISes?"

"Mine doesn't."

"Oh."

They both turned back to look at Amy, who was apparently still waiting for Rory to pick up.

"Maybe he just doesn't want to speak to you," Ella suggested. "He'll see your number."

Amy shook her head impatiently. "No, I got my old number deleted when we…yes!"

"What is it?"

Amy put a finger to her lips and Ella rolled her eyes. There was no way of stopping Amy now, and she knew it. Still, it would be amusing to see how this one played out.

"Rory!" Amy called cheerfully down the phone. "Long time no speak."

It was a lie of course – they had spoken a few weeks ago. Still, Ella wasn't quite sure how the whole space time-Earth time thing worked. It could be fifty years into the future in Earth time. She couldn't quite ascertain the buzz of noise that came out of the phone, so she concentrated on Amy's face. Her lips were pursed, her forehead slightly wrinkled as she listened to the flow of speech from Rory's end.

"Yeah, I know. I know," Amy cut in. "Look Rory. I've been thinking. I really…really miss you. I want to see you."

There was a pause that seemed to stretch out for years but was probably only a few seconds. Amy's face was a grimace of discomfort as she waited for Rory to reply.

"I'm sorry about that. I truly am. We really want you to come over so we can sort things out properly."

"We?" Ella mouthed, raising an eyebrow. Amy ignored her.

"Yes. Thanks, Rory. I really mean it. We'll see you in a bit, then."

Ella wasn't sure who hung up first, but the conversation ended and Amy returned the phone to her bag. She didn't meet Ella's astonished gaze.

"Where does Rory live?" Dorian asked Ella quietly.

"Um…planet Earth."

Dorian nodded. "How does she think we're going to get there? Or does he have a ship?"

"Of course he doesn't have a ship," Ella retorted. "Lord knows how she's going to get there."

"Well then, I must be a Lord," Amy grinned, evidently having heard the conversation. "We're going there by TARDIS, of course."

She skipped up the metal stairs towards the console, and stared at the buttons, levers and screens that covered the machine.

"I don't think she actually knows how to use this thing," Ella muttered.

"Of course I do!" Amy said, approaching a screen. She pressed a series of buttons along its side, and the screen flickered to life. "Who do you think the Doctor gets to do all his dirty work?"

Ella watched in mild alarm as Amy pressed more buttons, plugging numbers into the machine so that it began to whir.

"Don't you think the Doctor's going to notice if his ship has disappeared?" Ella shouted over the hum of the console. The central column had lit up brightly, throwing a blue glow over the room.

"Maybe he'll learn," Amy replied through gritted teeth, as she yanked on a lever, "that he can't just wander off with random women and leave us to fend for ourselves."

"That's Dorian's mum you just called a 'random woman'," Ella grimaced, but she saw Dorian grinning. She hated him for enjoying what was guaranteed to be an absolute disaster.

"Got it!" Amy shouted, pulling on a final lever as the TARDIS began to vibrate.

Ella scanned the console, trying to remember how it had looked when they last had used it. There was something not quite right with how the TARDIS was behaving, she was sure, and yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

It was when Dorian had opened his mouth to speak that Ella realised what it was.

"Mum!" she called, as the TARDIS began to rock violently. "You forgot the thing!"

"The what?"

"The thingamy…that the Doctor always makes sure to…_oh_, you know," Ella cried in frustration. "The thing!"

Amy frowned at her as she braced herself against the metal bars. "You are _so_ like the Doctor," she muttered irritably.

"It's the dematerialisation circuit," cut in Dorian, sprinting towards the console.

"The what?" Amy stared at him.

"Oh, it's only the most important part of the process," he sighed loudly, pushing past Amy and disappearing behind other side of the console. "Nothing to worry about at all."

"Was he being sarcastic with me?" Amy turned to Ella.

"Yep."

"Fixed!" Dorian shouted, emerging again. The TARDIS had stopped shaking so violently and went back to a mild vibration. "I wonder why the Doctor turned it off. Most Time Lords keep theirs on all the time."

"Probably so we wouldn't go anywhere while he was gone," Amy frowned.

"Pretty dangerous though," Dorian said. "If there's a problem with the dematerialisation circuit, then there's a chance of _de_materialising without any _re_materialising."

Amy turned from Dorian to Ella, a look of extreme confusion on her face. Ella shrugged, feeling just as baffled as Amy clearly was. Nevertheless, it seemed like neither of them would be able to comment on the nonsensical spew of words that had just come out of Dorian's mouth, for he was already heading towards the front door.

"Come on then," he called to them, practically skipping across the metal floor. "Let's go find this Rory."

"How does he even know we've landed in the right place?" Ella murmured to Amy as they followed cautiously behind him.

"I don't!" he called back happily. "That's the fun of it."

"I wish," Ella muttered grumpily, "that people would stop listening in on my conversations."

"You can talk," Dorian grinned, as Ella joined him at the door.

"What?" Amy asked curiously.

"Nothing," Ella replied quickly, glaring at Dorian.

Paying no attention to Ella's furious gaze, Dorian seized the handle and swung the door open. A shaft of pale morning sunlight filtered through the doorway.

Dorian sniffed the air, apparently in rapture, and stepped out into the field in which the TARDIS had landed. "Yep, definitely England." His nose crinkled a little in disgust. "Countryside."

"What?" Amy exclaimed, pushing past him. "I meant to land in London."

"Even worse than the countryside," Dorian muttered.

"I told you that you didn't know what you were doing –" Ella began, but she was cut off.

"I definitely put in London," Amy insisted.

Ella shrugged. "I guess the TARDIS decided she didn't like you very much." She pushed past both of them, stepping out of the TARDIS into a wide, green field.

"Leadworth," she said quickly, taking in the small village in front of her.

"Leadworth?" Amy repeated, joining her. "Oh, Jesus."

"Leadworth's not anything _like _London," Dorian remarked.

"Oh, shut up," Amy snapped. "I didn't make a mistake, okay? The TARDIS must have brought us here."

"What do you want to do?" Ella asked her mother.

Amy sighed, scanning the small cluster of buildings in the distance. "Go find Rory, I suppose."

"Righto," Dorian nodded, striding past them and heading towards the village.

"What the hell?" Ella said, her expression mirroring Amy's exactly. "He doesn't know who Rory is, does he?"

"I don't think so…"

"Oh well," Ella shrugged. "He seems to know what he's doing."


	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER 35**

It had been a long time since the Doctor had been in another TARDIS. A very long time.

The mechanics of Regina's machine were pretty much the same – the Doctor hadn't seen what it looked like on the outside (although he presumed that Regina's chameleon circuit was in full working order), but the inside was vast.

A central, raised platform held the console, which looked a lot shinier and newer than the Doctor's but with all the same functions. The central column was still blue, but its glow seemed somewhat warmer than the stark, bright blue of the Doctor's TARDIS. The floor, instead of being metal, was made of dark, shiny wood.

"Ooh," the Doctor said, hurrying over to the console. "This looks like fun. What is this little beauty?"

He picked up a sleek, black panel that lay on the surface of the console. Regina waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't bother asking me anything technical," she sighed. "You know I'm dreadful at these things. I leave most of that stuff to Dorian."

"He's a smart boy."

"He is," she agreed.

"Right," said the Doctor decisively. "Let's sort out your little mess and get on to other, more important matters." With a hint of reluctance, he put down the black panel.

Regina smiled sadly. "I think I'm in a far greater mess than you could imagine, Doctor."

"Hey, you've forgotten who you're talking to. I was the guy who blew up that whole wing at Prydonian, and had to go on the run for sixth months so that I wouldn't be fined."

"It's not like you couldn't afford it," grinned Regina, momentarily distracted from her plight.

"I was saving up for something. Something special, for _someone _special."

Regina blushed. "Someone special? Who could that have been?" Her long, black lashes fluttered as she gazed at him.

"Myself, of course," the Doctor said casually. Regina stopped fluttering her eyelashes at once. "So really, on the grand scheme of things, your problems are pretty insignificant."

"Be serious," Regina whispered, and she looked suddenly afraid. "If I get caught, if they find me…what will happen to Dorian? What will happen to all this?" she threw her arms out, taking in the whole of her TARDIS.

"Dorian's a big boy, he can look after himself. And I wouldn't worry about the ship. It'll be perfectly fine in his hands." He threw a jealous glance at the shining console.

"He's just a boy, Doctor!"

The Doctor stepped towards her, wary of a sudden outburst of emotion – with Amy and Ella on his ship, he'd had enough of that to last him several lifetimes – yet understanding the need to comfort his old friend.

"You know I'll always be here. For you, for him…for the ship, if needs be."

Regina smiled despite the sparkle of tears that glistened in her dark eyes. "I knew I could count on you, Doctor. I couldn't think of anyone else to turn to."

"You are in a bit of a sticky situation," he admitted. "How in Ood's name did you end up like this?"

Regina shook her head slowly. "It's a long story."

"I like long stories."

"It's a _really _long story." She looked up at him, her smile jarring against the sadness in her eyes. "It's a pretty good one, though. It's got everything – chase scenes, a murder mystery…death. Eventually."

"Everyone's going to die eventually," the Doctor mused.

"Some sooner than others," Regina replied quietly.

"That is true."

There was a moment's pause at both Time Lords considered each other. The Doctor found himself unable to look away from Regina, the woman he thought he had said goodbye to for the last time. The best friend he thought he had lost. Her sudden return reminded him of something else that had come back into his life recently. Amy Pond. Amy and Regina. The human and the Time Lord…Time _Lady._ Everything about them was so completely incomparable and yet the Doctor couldn't help thinking of them side by side. Surely it was asking too much to have them both?

"She's a sweet girl," Regina said, breaking the silence. How she knew what the Doctor had been thinking about he didn't know, but even as a teenager Regina had always had the uncanny ability to suss out a situation before you even knew you were in one.

The Doctor couldn't help but laugh. "Pond? _Sweet?_ I'm not sure about that."

"It's good that you've got someone to look after you. You must get lonely."

The Doctor didn't reply. As much as he grumbled about how noisy it was with the girls on the ship, how he never had any privacy, he had to admit that his life was much better now than it had been during his seventeen years alone. Whilst he liked to present himself as a lone traveller, he couldn't deny the fact that, apart from the recent years, he always had some sort of companion with him. For some reason, he could never seem to push them away.

"This isn't about me," the Doctor said quickly, attempting to cover up the awkward silence. "We're here to talk about you. I take it Dorian doesn't know anything about this?"

Regina shook her head and sighed. "I haven't told him about the big stuff. But he's smart – he knows something's up. Why else would we have come back? I'd prefer to keep as much of it from him as possible."

"Right," the Doctor nodded. "I think the safest thing for you right now is to get away from here. Get away from me."

"But Doctor!" Regina cried imploringly. "I came to you because I needed your help! I have nobody else to turn to."

The Doctor turned away from her. _He_ was the reason that Regina had nobody. Any family or friends she had would have perished with Gallifrey – no time travel could get them back for her…not really. It was strange circumstances that had led Regina to leave Gallifrey that day many eons ago: if she had stayed, she and Dorian would have gone too.

"I'm as much a magnet for trouble as you seem to be," the Doctor insisted. "By being with me you are putting yourself and Dorian into even greater danger. Who knows who could be watching us right now?"

"What can I do?" Regina whispered sadly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You can run," suggested the Doctor. "Use a fake name, change everything about who you are. Take refuge on another planet – a safe one – and leave your TARDIS. Just for a bit. Until it all blows over. Or…"

"Or?" Regina looked up, clinging to whatever alternative suggestion the Doctor would present her with.

"Or…" the Doctor hesitated. "You can stay. Face whatever – _whoever_ – is coming for you."

"And you?"

"I'll be here. I won't leave your side, you know I won't. Not this time."

Regina nodded slowly. "But until that time…?"

"You mentioned something about Dorian's father?"

"Yes," Regina sighed. "I think…I think I need to prepare for any eventuality. I can't just think about myself. Dorian's not a child anymore, but I can't just leave him alone. I have to find his father."

"Regina," the Doctor replied quickly. "They're gone. They're all gone. Believe me, if I could find a way of bringing any of them back, I would."

Regina shook her head emphatically. "No, Doctor. I'm not asking you to bring anyone back…not from Gallifrey, anyway." She lifted her head, so that she was staring straight into the Doctor's confused eyes. "Dorian's father is not a Time Lord. He isn't one of us. Dorian doesn't know this. There's a reason I've stayed away from Earth all these years, Doctor. Dorian's father is _human_."

The Doctor stood in silence, completely thrown by Regina's revelation. How had _he_, the Doctor, the greatest genius ever to have existed (in his own opinion, anyway), not realised? He should have spotted the signs at once. He should have been aware of the heartbeats – in all honesty, what with their surprise arrival, the Doctor had been slightly preoccupied with other matters than listening out for double hearts. Nevertheless, he himself was the father of a half-human, half-Gallifreyan child; he should have noticed _something_.

The sonic screwdriver should have picked up something…

Instinctively, the Doctor reached for the breast pocket of his tweed jacket, only to find it empty. "Oh, custard," he said loudly. "I must've left it…"

"Doctor?"

His eyes snapped back to focus on Regina, who was looking at him a little bemusedly. "Yes?"

Regina frowned, apparently concerned for his strange behaviour. "Is everything all right?"

"I've left my screwdriver. I'll just go and get it."

Regina barely had time to open her mouth in astonishment as he turned on his heel and proceeded to walk towards the front door of her TARDIS. Grabbing the handle, the Doctor wrenched the door open wide. Where there should have been another door – _his _door – there was just empty, endless, space. The Doctor stared at the spot where his ship had vanished, its sudden disappearance causing only one thing to spring to mind.

"_POND!"_


	36. Chapter 36

**Okay, so I really, really hated writing this chapter. I suppose that's what happens when you write for a deadline, rather than for fun. Still, it's the promised chapter that I wanted to get out before tonight's show, which might ruin every single plan I ever had for these characters :) **

**I don't usually do chapters from two different viewpoints, but I was running out of time so I've had to split it. Just be warned, it's definitely not as good as some of the other chapters...I'll get back to writing better stuff when I've actually got good ideas. **

**Thanks for the support guys, it really means a lot x**

* * *

**CHAPTER 36**

"You're being an idiot," Ella sighed at her mother, for what seemed like the twentieth time. "It's you who called him – he's expecting you to show up."

"I know, I _know_," Amy groaned in reply. They had been at it for about an hour, and Ella was getting to the point where she was about to haul Amy out of the café herself.

There were three cafés in Leadworth, and Amy had chosen the smallest, dingiest one, with the hope of not running into anyone from her past.

"I still don't get why we're here," Dorian muttered, his nose crinkling in disgust at the greasy table-top.

"_You_ can just shut up," Ella scowled. She turned back to Amy. "Come on, just do it. The Doctor will find out you've stolen his ship soon enough and he'll come and find it. He'll –"

"Hide me!"

Amy had ducked down beneath the table, so that the only part of her that could be seen was the top of her fiery red hair. Dorian, who was evidently not used to such behaviour, stared at the spot where she had just been. Ella, however, glanced around the café, trying to spot what had made Amy so anxious.

"What is it?" she hissed in Amy's direction.

"Mrs Dingle," she whispered back. "Stop looking at me!"

Ella, shaking her head in exasperation, swept the room with her eyes. The café was fairly empty, apart from a rather large man eating a sausage roll, and a skinny old lady at the counter.

"What's wrong with Mrs Dingle?" Ella asked quietly, keeping herself nonchalantly turned away from Amy.

"She's only the nosiest person ever in existence," Amy sighed. "What's she doing?"

"I think she's leaving."

Amy popped her head out from under the table, warily eyeing Mrs Dingle as she hobbled slowly out of the café.

"Phew, that was close." Amy sighed in relief, resuming her former position. "She hasn't changed a bit."

Ella rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she'd say the same thing about you. Come on, let's go see Rory." As idiotic as she thought her mother's decision to see her old fiancé was, Ella was so bored of hanging around in the café that she just wanted to get it over with. She glanced at Dorian. "Help me drag her out."

Dorian stood up at once. He and Ella both grabbed one of Amy's arms and hauled her out of her seat.

"No, no!" Amy cried, trying to wrench her arms free of Dorian's vice-like grip. "I can't do this!"

"Yes, you can. And you will." Ella noticed how she sounded much more like Amy's parent than her child. It was often like this – Amy was more like her crazy best friend than her responsible mother.

The café owner stared, bewildered, as Ella and Dorian continued to tow a struggling Amy across the room. Ella thrust a handful of notes and coins onto the counter as they past, smiled at him grimly, and they managed to get her out of the door.

"Alright, alright!" Amy snapped, releasing herself from Ella and Dorian. "Get off me, I'll go…hello Mrs Dingle!"

In turning away from Ella, she had found herself face-to-face with the old lady from the café. She was gazing at Amy curiously.

"Er…" Amy faltered. "It's me, Mrs Dingle…Amelia Pond."

"Pond?" Mrs Dingle barked. "Pond?"

"Yes."

Mrs Dingle surveyed Amy through her round spectacles, her beady black eyes taking in Amy's – rather short – denim skirt and scuffed shoes. "You look exactly the same," she remarked.

"I could say the same about you," Amy smiled, although the way in which her hand was balled into a tight fist showed her discomfort. "Mrs Dingle, this is my daughter, Ella."

Amy stepped aside so that Ella was in full view of Mrs Dingle's beetle-black eyes. Mrs Dingle eyed Ella a little disdainfully, but she said nothing.

"Mrs Dingle," Amy said quickly. "Do you know where Rory is living nowadays? Rory Williams?"

"What?" she barked loudly.

"_Mum_," Ella hissed. "Over there. Look." She nodded in the direction behind Mrs Dingle.

Amy looked up…and Rory was looking back.

"See you later, Mrs Dingle," Amy said vaguely, turning to walk past the old lady. Mrs Dingle muttered something about the 'youth of today', and 'respect for their elders', but her words were lost to Amy.

Ella wasn't sure whether to follow. She had met Rory only once, briefly, and he was not aware that she had witnessed his last confrontation with Amy and the Doctor.

Dorian, on the other hand, had no reservations about meeting Rory. He sauntered over to where Amy and Rory stood, silently facing each other.

"You must be Rory," he said loudly, clasping Rory's hand in his own and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Uh…" Rory stepped back once Dorian had released his hand. He looked rather alarmed.

"Rory, meet Dorian," Amy shrugged, after a moment's pause. "Ella?" she glanced around for her daughter. "Ella, could you and Dorian go…go somewhere. I'd quite like to talk to Rory alone for a bit."

Ella noticed a look of apprehension pass across Rory's face, and she felt a little sorry for him. He had been living his nice, peaceful life in Leadworth, undisturbed by anyone except his neighbours, and Amy had to go and intrude with a phone call from outer space.

She nodded, although she didn't really want to spend anymore alone time with Dorian.

When Ella and Dorian were out of sight – Ella trying to keep as far away from Dorian as possible – Amy turned back to Rory. He seemed to have recovered from Dorian's exuberant greeting.

"So, that was…"

"Dorian," Amy nodded. "A friend of the Doctor's."

"Right."

There was another awkward pause.

"Do you want to come in?" Rory suggested, gesturing at a building behind him. It was a small, detached house with two floors and a pretty gabled roof. A small front garden was surrounded by a white picket fence.

Amy gazed at the house, open-mouthed. "This is your place?" she gasped.

Rory nodded, a little embarrassed. "It's not that big. But it's enough."

"I think it's wonderful," Amy gushed, stepping past him to go through the white wooden gate at the entrance to the garden. She strolled up the yellow-stoned path, which was lined by unkempt grass with sprinkles of daisies and other wild flowers.

"Mrs Dingle didn't mention that you lived here," she frowned.

"Mrs Dingle?"

Amy nodded. "We…we bumped into her outside the café. She hasn't changed at all."

Rory smiled, remembering a time so long ago, when he and Amy would sit and talk for hours about the residents of Leadworth. Mrs Dingle was always a favourite – particularly of Amy's, who used to insist that Rory dress up as her so that she could chase him around the house.

"She once said to me," Amy continued. "That I would never be anything. That I would never get a proper job, that I would never be successful." Amy shrugged. "Then again, I was dressed up as a kissogram nurse at the time. I probably shouldn't blame her."

Rory chuckled. "She was an old bat. I wouldn't listen to anything she says."

"Don't worry, I didn't."

Rory pushed his key into the lock of the blue front door – a shade of blue rather like the TARDIS's police-box exterior, Amy couldn't help but to notice – and held it open for Amy. She stepped inside, giving into the magnetic pull she'd been resisting for so long. A desire – whether it was for answers, or closure, or for the man himself – had been nagging away at her ever since Rory had turned and walked away that time many weeks ago. Perhaps it had been there ever since they had parted over sixteen years ago. Still, her decision to call Rory was not a simple wish to irritate the Doctor – although she knew that he would be extremely annoyed when he discovered that Amy had stolen his ship and had taken it to her former fiancé's home. No…some part of her, and she didn't yet know how dominant that part of her was, wanted Rory back in her life. And if stealing a Time Lord's TARDIS was the only means of achieving that, then she'd really had no choice.

Well, that was what she would tell herself whenever the doubt kicked in.

* * *

The Doctor wheeled around to face Regina with an expression of open-mouthed horror. The door still open behind him, facing out into the expanse of black Universe, he sprinted over to the TARDIS's console.

"What are you doing?" Regina stared at him.

"We have to find her." A screen on the console sprang to life as he began plugging in a series of coordinates.

"Amy?"

"No, not Amy. My _TARDIS_. Knowing Ms Pond, the poor girl could be anywhere."

As the TARDIS began to whir, Regina hurried to close the front door. "Does she know how to fly it?"

"I've tried my best to teach her – maybe that was a bad idea. I should have known better than to leave her with the ship."

"It'll be fine," Regina said soothingly, alarmed at how frazzled the Doctor seemed to be. "Dorian's with her. He knows how to fly a TARDIS."

The Doctor had apparently not been listening. "_Earth_?" he muttered, as he pinpointed his ship's location on the screen. "What the devil is she doing on…oh no."

"Doctor?"

"Leadworth?" he cried, as Regina's TARDIS barrelled through the time vortex towards Earth. "But that's where…oh, she's going to be in such trouble when I find her. I _told _her to stay away from Rory. It will only make things worse for the poor chap."

"Who's Rory?" Regina asked, perplexed, but once again her question was ignored.

"My ship!" the Doctor cried. "My poor, sexy little ship, in the hands of the most irrational woman I've ever met. My bowties!"

Regina thought it best not to comment on the Doctor's priorities, instead settling into one of the plush leather chairs that surrounded the console. Although she was a bit apprehensive of allowing the Doctor, who was clearly in a bit of a state, to take control of her ship, she could see there was no way to reason with him. She would just have to wait until it all blew over.

"I'm terribly sorry," the Doctor shouted from the other side of the console. "But it looks like our little trip to Earth will be a bit earlier than you had expected. Still…better late than never."

Regina contemplated this, mulling over the effect their 'little trip' would have. She had been trying so hard for so many years to stay away from anything that would connect her life with Dorian to her previous, and rather more dangerous, existence beforehand. Travelling to Earth was definitely not part of her immediate plan, but given her earlier conversation with the Doctor, it now seemed necessary.

"It's fine, Doctor," she sighed, resigned to whatever plan the Doctor had. "Just don't forget to release the brake. I know what you're like."

Two minutes later, Regina's TARDIS had landed in a quiet, cobbled street in the outskirts of Leadworth. As the Doctor stepped out, he marvelled at Regina's fully-functioning chameleon circuit, which had successfully caused the TARDIS's exterior to take on the appearance of a streetlamp. Somehow, he and Regina had managed to squeeze themselves out of what was now a tiny door in the side of a long, metal pole. He would figure that part out later.

"This is Leadworth?" Regina enquired, scanning the empty street with apprehension.

"Yup," the Doctor replied. "An excellent place, although there are rather a lot of old people. _That _caused a spot of bother once upon a time, but it's all sorted now. There is the occasional oddball, but who am I to talk? Oh look…"

He hurried over to the pavement, where a frail old woman was shuffling along, dragging a wheeled basket behind her. She eyed the Doctor suspiciously through her glasses as he approached.

"Hello!" the Doctor said cheerfully. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you knew the whereabouts of one Amy Pond?"

"Pond?" she barked ferociously, and the Doctor leapt back, a little terrified of the old lady. "Don't you talk to me about that Pond girl."

"Well, we don't have to talk about her," the Doctor reasoned. "But you see, she stole my ship, and I'd rather like to get it back."

The woman frowned at him, clearly suspicious.

"Oh, don't worry," the Doctor huffed. He turned back to Regina. "I think we're just going to have to look for them ourselves."

"Mother?"

The Doctor and Regina both turned in the direction of the voice, to see Dorian and Ella heading their way.

"Where's my ship?" the Doctor asked Ella quickly.

"Relax, Doctor. It's fine. Not _too _much harm done, at least."

The Doctor frowned. "But I'd turned off the dematerialisation circuit to give the old girl a rest. How in the name of all that is Gallifreyan did you –"

"Dorian worked it out," Ella said, a little resentfully.

The Doctor turned to Dorian, who looked a little sheepish. "I suppose I should say well done," the Doctor grimaced. "It could have been disastrous if Amy had tried to fly the ship with a malfunctioning circuit."

"How did you know it was mum who flew it?" Ella cut in, defensively.

"This has Pond written all over it," the Doctor said grimly. "And you're no better. You should have stopped her before she did some real damage."

"For heavens' sake," Ella sighed. "You know what she's like. Once she gets an idea into her head there's no stopping her."

This was something the Doctor had to agree with. He had travelled with Amy Pond for too long not to realise that leaving her behind with his ship was a guaranteed disaster.

"Where is she?" the Doctor asked.

Ella shrugged. "She went off with that Rory. I think she wanted a bit of a catch up, or something."

"For crying out loud!" he exclaimed. "That girl does not know when to leave things well alone. Still, we'd better find her before something goes horribly wrong."

He was about to set off down the road, without even knowing where to begin searching for Rory or Amy, when he felt a tug at his sleeve.

"Doctor," Regina implored. She looked very uneasy. "Remember our conversation? I really can't be wandering around random planets, especially with you. I'm in enough trouble as it is."

Ella and Dorian looked at their parents in confusion, both having no clue as to what 'trouble' Regina was referring to.

"Mother?" Dorian asked anxiously. "Is everything all right?"

"I'll explain later, sweetie," Regina said quickly.

"Okay, okay," the Doctor held up his hands. "Not that I think anything can possibly go wrong in this place" – he gestured about him – "despite the incident with the old folks…for the time being, you" – he pointed at Regina – "can use a fake name."

"A fake name?" she replied sceptically. "Honestly, Doctor, I don't think a fake name is enough to get me out of –"

"It'll have to do for now," he interrupted. "You –" he turned to Ella. "Think of a name, quickly!"

Ella stared at him, a little lost for words. Both the Doctor and Regina were acting very strangely; no wonder Amy was so pissed off at being out of the loop.

"River!" the Doctor said suddenly, evidently remembering the conversation he'd had a while ago with Ella. "Sorry, El," he continued, turning to her. "It was the first thing I could think of."

"No problem," Ella replied, still very confused.

"River…" Regina mused. "I like it."

"How about 'River Song'?" suggested Dorian, winking at Ella. Ella blushed furiously, recalling the time she had first met Dorian, after her singing in the shower.

"Wonderful," the Doctor said. "Now can we _please _go and find Amy, and, more importantly, my ship?"


	37. Chapter 37

**Wow, that mid-season finale was completely mental...can't wait for it to start again in the autumn. Clearly my River is not the same as the River on the show...or is she? (No, she's not.) **

**I've realised how ridiculously long this story is getting, but as of right now I have no intentions of stopping (it might have something to do with the complete lack of ideas on how to end it). Might have to create a sequel or something exciting like that.**

**Reviews if you can :) I'd love you forever and ever and ever...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 37**

"So was there a particular reason why you called me, from space, or did you just fancy a chat?" Rory asked, lowering himself into one of the faded blue armchairs in his sitting room. Amy was curled up on the other, a steaming mug of tea clutched in her hands.

She shrugged, unwilling to inform him of the primary reason that she made the call – an excuse to steal the TARDIS and get back at the Doctor.

"It's raining," she remarked, glancing outside of the window. In the space of about five minutes, the sky above Leadworth seemed to have burst open, releasing a torrent of water that fell in sheets onto the little town.

Rory glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's been raining here a lot recently," he replied. "Everyday, actually. Always in the afternoon." He paused, and took a sip of his own tea. "But don't change the subject. What are you doing here, Amy?"

Amy sighed, realising that there really was no escape. "We didn't exactly leave it on the best of terms," she said awkwardly. Rory looked down at his lap, unable to meet Amy's brown eyes. "I wanted to make sure things were, you know, cool."

Rory raised his head and looked at her incredulously. "Cool? When have things _ever_ been cool?"

"Er, right now, stupid face," she grinned. "It's not exactly warm outside is it?" She chuckled at her poor joke, but Rory's sober expression made her stop laughing. The fleeting mention of Amy's old nickname for him had not gone unnoticed. He looked away again, and Amy herself focused on her mug.

"Did you love him?" Rory asked, breaking the heavy silence that was punctuated only by the patter of raindrops on the window.

"What?" Amy said, Rory's question having caught her off-guard.

"I said, _did you love him_?" he repeated.

Amy gripped the mug tighter. She knew whom Rory was referring to, of course, but how could she possibly reply truthfully when she didn't even know the answer herself?

"I don't know," she sighed. It was as truthful as she could possibly get. "It was a bit weird, you know? We were cooped up in that box with only each other for company…of course, I wasn't aware that you had ever existed."

"I did, though."

"I know that _now_," Amy rolled her eyes. "But at the time…I don't know, maybe a part of me did love him, even then. I wasn't supposed to, obviously. It was never meant to turn out the way it did."

"Do you regret it?"

Rory's question came out rather cold, and Amy was considering not answering. It was quite a personal question, and had it been seventeen years ago, Amy would not have let it slide. However, she knew that she owed him answers, and after all, she _had_ turned up, basically unannounced, interrupting his life once again.

"No," she said fervently. "I wouldn't have had Ella. And she's my…she's my life."

Rory nodded as if he understood, but Amy knew he didn't. He couldn't possibly understand.

"Do you love him _now_?" Rory asked, after another pause.

The sudden creak of the door saved Amy from answering. Amy and Rory both turned around in shock as it flew open, revealing the presence of four, soaking wet people in Rory's hallway.

"Excellent question," the Doctor smirked, sauntering into the living room. He shook his floppy brown hair, causing a shower of water droplets to fly across the room. The Doctor's gaze slipped past Amy and found Rory. "Nice to see you again, Rory."

"How…how did you get in?" Rory stammered, staring up at the Doctor in complete disbelief.

The Doctor grinned, and held out a small brass key, which he dropped onto Rory's lap. "Ella suggested we try looking under the doormat. Smart kid. You – not so much."

Rory stared incredulously at the key for a few seconds, before looking back at the Doctor. "How did you find us here?"

The Doctor, however, had moved away from the chairs was staring curiously out of the window.

"How peculiar," he said, ignoring Rory's question. "If only I had my screwdriver…"

"Oh," Amy said quickly, rising from her chair. "I've got it. Here." She withdrew the sonic screwdriver from her jacket pocket, and held it out to the Doctor. She grinned sheepishly under his glare – she knew he couldn't stay angry at her for long.

The Doctor, having taken back his beloved screwdriver, proceeded to swipe it along the window frame.

"Doctor? What –"

"Shh."

Annoyed at having been ignored, Amy instead turned her attention to the three other, still rather damp, people in the hallway.

"I thought I told you two to stay out of trouble," she said reprovingly to Ella and Dorian.

"Did you?" Ella replied. She turned to Dorian. "Did she?"

"I don't believe she did."

"Well," Amy retorted, placing both hands on her hips. "Even if I didn't say it, I meant it. And breaking into someone's house _definitely _counts as trouble."

Ella shifted uneasily, catching Rory's eye as she did so. "Sorry," she mumbled quietly.

"How did they find you anyway?" Amy asked. It was obvious she meant the Doctor and Regina, the former who was still fiddling around with his screwdriver. Regina stepped forward into the living room, and Amy noticed – with hint of annoyance – that Rory's eyes widened slightly as they took in the beautiful woman.

"I can explain," Regina said, her silky voice resonating throughout the room. "Once the Doctor realised that his TARDIS had disappeared –"

"Had been _stolen_ by a crazy woman bent on giving me hell for the rest of my life," the Doctor interrupted sourly, but his attention did not avert from the window.

"Well," Regina continued, as if the Doctor had never spoken. "He used _my _locator to track down the ship's whereabouts, and it brought us to here. To Leadworth."

"Dorian and I were just walking down the street when we saw them, and we told them you had gone with Rory," Ella concluded. "The Doctor used the same locating thingy to find _you_, and we ended up here."

Amy turned to the Doctor in disbelief. "You're having me _bugged_?"

"You ran off with my ship," he countered. "I think we need to talk about that –"

"Does anyone want tea?" Amy said quickly, holding up her half-empty mug. "I'll just go and get some…"

"Not so fast," the Doctor said darkly, turning away from the window and pointing his screwdriver at her. "You stay right here, Pond."

"Can somebody _please_ tell me what's going on?" Rory begged. He was the only one sitting down now, and he looked rather vulnerable in comparison to the lively characters who had invaded his living room.

"Mum stole the TARDIS," Ella explained simply.

"It's very difficult to give a man with two hearts a heart-attack," the Doctor cut in. "But when I saw that my ship had been replaced by thin air, I came very close."

"Sorry," mumbled Amy, sounding very much like Ella had done just minutes before. "But what did you expect? You'd run off with _her_ and you weren't telling me what was going on! You know how much I hate being left in the dark."

The Doctor had opened his mouth to reply, but Rory, sensing that a full-blown argument was just around the corner, stood up. "Okay! Look, it's still raining, and I'd feel a bit mean kicking you out –"

"Like you could, anyway," Amy muttered, still irritated.

" – so why don't I get some tea and everyone can just _calm down_?"

"I'll help," Ella offered quickly, eager to avoid a grilling from the Doctor about the part she played in stealing the TARDIS. She scurried into the kitchen after him.

"I think Dorian and I will head back to our ship. It's not our place here." Regina announced. "We'll wait for you, Doctor."

Amy looked at her imploringly, wishing she could send a message to her telepathically to stay put. She didn't want to be alone with the Doctor right now, especially in the home of her former fiancé. That was enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Regina however, was clearly oblivious to any signals Amy had been trying to send her, and she wrapped a pale, slender arm around Dorian as they headed out the house into the rain.

"So…" Amy said awkwardly, as the Doctor – still frowning – came to sit in the chair that Rory had just vacated. "Everything okay with the screwdriver? And the window?"

The Doctor twisted the screwdriver in his hand, his head tilting to the side as he read all the information it was giving him. "The rain. It's very strange rain."

"It's just rain, Doctor. Not exactly unheard of in Leadworth."

"Hmm," he exhaled, not entirely convinced.

"Are you going to shout at me?" Amy asked, steeling herself for whatever reaction she would get from the Doctor. She knew she deserved to be shouted at, but she was hoping he wouldn't make a scene.

"No. Not right now at least." His voice was stern but his eyes twinkled as they rested on her anxious face. She relaxed slightly. "But really, what were you thinking? I know you Ponds aren't exactly famous for your rationality, but you really should be more responsible now. You're old."

Amy snorted. "You can talk! Mr Nine-Hundred-Years-And-Counting. I may not be twenty-one anymore, but I'm certainly not _old_."

"And still just as magnificent," the Doctor conceded.

"Why thank you," Amy grinned. "Although I'm not sure magnificence translates as 'stealing a Time Lord's spaceship because he's pissing you off'."

"Oh, is _that _what was going on?" the Doctor groaned. "And I daresay it worked. Not only did you scare me half to death by running off and taking my _home_, you ended up in the place where I least wanted you to go."

Amy's eyebrows knitted together as she looked at the Doctor incredulously. "What's wrong with _Leadworth_? It's only the most boring place on Earth. The most boring place in the whole Universe, probably."

The Doctor had said too much. Far, _far _too much. But Amy had realised it, and she wouldn't let it go until he told her the truth.

He shifted uneasily in his seat, his fingers playing with the sonic screwdriver again. "There's something not quite right about this place," he said slowly. There was a crash of thunder that seemed to shake the entire house. "I don't like it. I don't like it at all."


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER 38**

It had taken the Doctor a little longer than necessary to reach Regina's TARDIS. Firstly, he'd spent some time familiarising himself with the Soratan rain – which was still beating strongly down on Leadworth – whilst trying, unsuccessfully, to squint through the shadowy clouds in the hopes of glimpsing one of the creatures who inhabited them. Then, once he'd reached the street in which the TARDIS had been left, it had taken him a while to work out which of the streetlamps was actually a spaceship. Regina's chameleon circuit was rather impressive.

Once he'd finally located the correct streetlamp, the Doctor jostled with the small hatch on the side of the pole, and, rather ungracefully, stuck his foot inside it. As he squeezed the rest of his body through, it began to open out into a full-size doorway, and he found himself in the large control room of Regina's TARDIS.

"Hello?" he called out, seeing no signs of life in the circular room.

"Doctor!" Regina's voice called out from a room beyond the main one. The Doctor followed the noise, hurrying through a set of oak double-doors. Dorian was lying, flat on his back, in the centre of a large, circular bed. Any colour that had been in his pale skin had gone, leaving him looking as white as a corpse. The Doctor had to choke back a cry of horror and revulsion.

"What happened?" he exclaimed, joining Regina at the boy's side. Her slender hand cradled her son's cold, white face, her fingers brushing through his thick black hair. The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and pointed its light towards Dorian's closed eyes.

"I don't know," she replied, her voice rough with choked-back sobs. "He just collapsed…I…I didn't know what else to do."

The Doctor frowned, his eyes flicking between Dorian's pale face and the screwdriver. "Well, he's definitely alive. How long for, I don't know." He looked at Regina's distraught face with compassion.

A sudden crash tore his eyes away from both Regina and Dorian, and he ran out of the bedroom into the control room. Standing by the doorway was Amy Pond, and she was helping Ella clamber through the TARDIS's door.

"Amelia," he growled, his expression thunderous as he hurried towards them. "I thought I told you to stay at Rory's."

She glared at him. "I'm not an idiot, Doctor. Something's going on and I want to know what it is. You can't expect me to hang around in a stupid little town whilst you go gallivanting off with Time Lords and other aliens. You're_not _leaving me behind."

The Doctor's retort was interrupted by the arrival of Rory, who looked rather disgruntled at having to enter the ship through a streetlamp.

"Look," he said quietly, his anger draining as he thought of Regina and her son. "Dorian's in a bad way."

"What's happened to him?" Amy asked sharply. "Is he okay?"

"No," the Doctor sighed. "No, he's not. Something's happened to him – we don't know what, but I'm trying to work it out now."

He began walking back towards the bedroom, and he heard Amy's footsteps behind him. "I've been trying to match up his vitals with anything stored on the screwdriver," he explained as he entered the room. Regina had moved from her vigil at Dorian's side, and was waiting anxiously for his return. She looked surprised to see Amy enter with the Doctor, but she said nothing, allowing the Doctor to continue. "If I'm not mistaken, I think it is highly likely that this has something to do with the Soratans."

Regina gasped at the mention of this alien race, and shared a meaningful glance with the Doctor, who nodded.

"It's too much of a coincidence that such a healthy boy, a Time Lord no less, should fall ill within the space of a minute after being exposed to the rain."

"I thought you said it wasn't harmful?" Amy recalled.

"I said that, as far as I knew, it wasn't harmful to Time Lords or humans."

Amy frowned, trying to understand the Doctor's cryptic response. "So…"

The Doctor glanced quickly at Regina, but she was once again kneeling beside Dorian's body.

"Dorian isn't fully Time Lord," he told Amy quietly. "Nor is he fully human."

It took Amy a matter of seconds to grasp the meaning of the Doctor's words. "You mean he's only _half _Time Lord?"

The Doctor nodded gravely. "I've just found out that his father was human. So although the rain has little effect on either full-Time Lords or full-humans…I don't know. However many hearts Dorian has, they're beating…but only just. Maybe it's just affecting Dorian in this way, but I think that it's attacking the vulnerable elements of both the Time Lord _and _humans parts of him, as it would anyone like him."

Amy's thoughts immediately flashed to her own child, who herself was not fully human, nor fully Time Lord. "But that means…" she said, as her eyes connected with the Doctor's, her expression of horror matching his own.

Rory burst into the room, a look of panic on his face. "Amy, Doctor, come quick!" he gasped. "It's Ella. Something's happened to Ella."


	39. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER 39**

If the Doctor had had any doubts about his paternal feelings towards Ella, they vanished completely at Rory's words. He was out of the door faster than Amy herself, and, seeing his daughter on the ground, felt a complex rush of emotions, most of which he had not felt for a very long time.

The terror he had shared with Amy grew stronger when he approached Ella, and saw how her skin was as devoid of colour as Dorian's. Her limbs, still arranged in the position that she had fallen in, seemed to be stiff, as if all the blood had left them.

Lying on the dark wooden floor, she looked so much smaller than he had remembered; so much more breakable. His natural instinct begged for him to reach out and hold her, to pick her up in his arms and shield her from any further damage.

There was also anger – an emotion so rare for the Doctor that it took him a few seconds to fully accept it. It was clear now that his theory was correct: this species had gone from being a relatively peaceful race to a deadly one. Whether they had intended to or not, they had hurt his daughter, his own flesh and blood.

And he was going to do something about it.

Amy had entered the control room mere moments after him, and had broken away from Rory's restraining arms. She fell to Ella's lifeless side, desperately searching for some sign of life in her blank face. The Doctor crouched down beside her, once again using his sonic screwdriver to inspect the girl's vitals. Amy brushed Ella's hair –damp from running through the rain – away from her face. He stroked Ella's pale cheek, and covered Amy's slender hand with his own.

"Rory," he commanded, tearing his eyes away from his daughter's face. "Carry Ella into that bedroom." He gestured towards the room they had just vacated, where Dorian lay. "Keep an eye on…" – he immediately thought of Amy and her tenacious need to not be left behind – "…on things. Get Regina to show you how to use the communicating system, if she can, so that you can keep in touch with me if there's an emergency."

"Where are you going?" he asked, a little startled at his sudden responsibility.

The Doctor turned his gaze back towards Ella, and then to Amy. She was looking at him with those pale brown eyes, pleading for him to find some way of saving their child. The Doctor felt as if he were being torn in two: part of him desperately wanted to stay by her side, to be there if and when Ella became conscious again; the other part, although he was sure it was not as great, needed retribution.

His words, although an answer to Rory's question, were directed towards Amy.

"I'm going," he said softly but gravely, "to find out what they've done to her. And I'm going to make them pay."

* * *

It was unlike the Doctor to enter a situation like this with such a vengeful approach. Usually, he preferred justice to revenge, and peace instead of violence. But never had a situation occurred to stir such emotions within him that all thoughts of rationality disappeared at once.

He hadn't realised how tiny Ella was; how completely vulnerable and defenceless. Her vibrant personality more than made up for what she lacked physically, but, lying still on the ground, the Doctor's hearts strained with a desire to protect her. For the first time, he had allowed himself to feel for his daughter what Amy had always felt. In their mutual torment, both wanting to stay by her side but needing to find whatever had hurt her, the Doctor had chosen what he believed was the toughest option.

He wanted to be back in Regina's TARDIS – all thoughts of his own ship's safety had completely vanished – with Amy, trying to sort out the mess from the comfort and (relative) safety of the TARDIS's control room. Instead of his usual habit of throwing his companions into mortal danger for the benefit of an exciting day out, his thoughts were now only centred on keeping them as safe as possible. It was Amy he was most concerned about. Regina had never been one to disobey a direct order, whether it had been from a superior or a friend, and the critical conditions of Dorian and Ella meant that they weren't exactly going anywhere. Amy, however, was still the Amy Pond he had always known – and now she also had a motive to want to go alien-hunting. If there was any possibility of facing the Soratans, and coming out alive, he would have to go alone.

With one more glance behind him, to check that Rory was indeed 'keeping an eye on things', the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and onto the streets of Leadworth. The grey clouds were still gathering above the town: a black region, almost directly above where Regina's disguised TARDIS stood, appeared to be sucking the surrounding clouds into its dark vortex. As the Doctor peered at its rapid, swirling movement, he was reminded of a tornado.

The streets were empty. The onslaught of thunderous rain had driven everybody indoors, to the warming comfort of homes or pubs, and so it was a solitary journey that the Doctor made to the nearby field. The rain, by now practically a sheet of grey water, soaked the Doctor's tweed jacket and scruffy brown hair, but he barely noticed. He had one goal, and no amount of rain, harmful or otherwise, was going to stop him from reaching it. In his previous experiences with the Soratans, it had been _they_ who had come to _him – _this time, the Doctor felt that it would have to be the other way around.

It was hard for the Doctor to keep the images of Ella's pale, still face, as well as Dorian's, out of his mind. Amy's pleading brown eyes seemed to have pierced his chest, making the ache in his hearts even more pronounced. However, he tried to keep a blank mind as he approached the centre of the field. Frowning, he stared up at the thick mass of clouds thundering above the little town. Streaks of lightning reached out towards the roofs of Leadworth's tallest buildings, and the rain continued to splash off every surface.

"Oi!" he shouted towards the sky. "Rain people, Soratans, whoever you are – I want a word!"

Minutes passed, and still the clouds gathered into the black swirl, with no sign of ceasing. The Doctor's hearts sank. Either they were not prepared to listen to him, or he'd got it catastrophically wrong. Perhaps it wasn't the aliens from Sorata who were causing this unnatural weather; perhaps something else had caused both Dorian and Ella to collapse.

However, it was at the point where the Doctor was thinking of taking more drastic action that something happened. The eddy of dark clouds, that before looked like a small tornado in the sky, now appeared to be stretching, so that it formed a pipe-shaped mass of fast-moving black air, snaking towards the field in which the Doctor stood. He crossed his arms, his expression serious, as he waited for the clouds to reach him.

The cylinder of air stopped moving, although the rain and lightning never ceased, about ten feet above the Doctor. The base widened, and a flash of brilliant white light filled the sky, forcing the Doctor to shield his eyes.

When he opened them, he saw that his theory was, in fact, correct all along.

"Doctor," the coarse, rasping voice acknowledged.

The Doctor squinted at the space where the massive bolt of lightning had struck. Standing there, as if she had been there all along, was a woman. A colossal, seven-foot tall, blue-skinned, grey-haired woman.

"Too right I'm the Doctor," he replied indignantly. "And you are?"

She did not seem to take any offence at his rude, blunt manner, but merely gazed at him with huge, black eyes.

"My name," she said slowly, opening her arms in the universal sign of friendship and peace. "Is Imber."

"Right," the Doctor nodded. "I think we need a little chat, don't you? I'll start. What are the chances of you turning off this rain?" He rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly, a shower of raindrops trickling from his soaked hair down his neck. "It's a little inconvenient."

Imber considered the Doctor's request for a few seconds, but eventually she flicked a complex pattern with her long blue fingers, and the heavy rainstorm ceased at once. Despite the rumble of thunder as the clouds continued to gather, it was a lot less loud than it had been.

"That's better," the Doctor nodded. "Now, on to more important matters: what on _Earth_ are you doing…well…on Earth? Why here? Why Leadworth? Of all the places you could have picked to settle down you choose here…why?"

Imber did not immediately react to his questions. She looked down on him with those large unblinking eyes, which seemed to reflect the sky above them.

"It was orders," she replied, and she probably would have shrugged if it was in her nature. "Just orders."

"You were ordered to invade Leadworth?" the Doctor said incredulously. "What's in Leadworth that's so desirable for a Soratan?" He seemed to be talking to himself now, pacing up and down in front of the tall blue woman. "What is there of any relevance to the Universe? Rory? Perhaps. But we dealt with him years ago. No more crack in the wall, timey-wimey shenanigans – all that's over now. Although there is still s_ome _timey-wimey shenanigans."

He suddenly remembered the true reason why he had requested this meeting with the Soratan: Ella and Dorian, back in the TARDIS. He couldn't begin to imagine what sort of state they were in now.

"Look," he said as he stopped pacing and faced Imber. "I would personally appreciate it very much if you and your people could move on from this town – preferably this planet, if that is at all possible. I happen to hold this planet in very high esteem, and I'd rather it were not under threat from aliens, friendly or otherwise."

Imber did not point out the obvious flaw in the Doctor's argument – that he himself was an alien and had done his fair share of interfering in the lives of Earth's human inhabitants. She shook her head sombrely.

"We cannot move from this place," she said, a little apologetically. "We are under orders –"

"Yes, yes," the Doctor interrupted. "You say that, but under orders from whom? And for what purposes, exactly?"

"Our leader, Saar, ordered us to establish ourselves in this particular place on planet Earth," Imber explained. "We were alerted to the presence of a new species – a species whom Saar believes is a threat to our people and many others – in this area, and he ordered us to use our powers to destroy them."

Her final words were said with such indifference that the Doctor couldn't help but be reminded of another group of aliens with the same emotionless attitude to extermination. A tiny shiver ran up his spine as he thought of the Daleks, and all the trouble they had caused him.

"What species?" he asked automatically, but even as he said the words he knew who Imber's people had set out to destroy. "No!" he all but shouted at her.

She tilted her head enquiringly, confused at his reaction. "What is it, Doctor?" her voice rasped. "Why are you so against the eradication of a race that has the power to wipe out thousands? You yourself are known throughout my people for doing much the same thing, are you not?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "This 'danger' you speak of," he growled. "Is my _daughter_. My _child_. What have you done to her?"

Imber smiled sweetly, further enraging the Doctor. "What an intriguing twist. And the other? I heard there were two who were affected by our storms."

"Dorian," the Doctor muttered. He lifted his head up, now speaking clearly and loudly as if he were addressing the whole Soratan population in the clouds. "These two are not dangerous. They are _children_."

"Unknown entities," Imber said dismissively. "It is a danger in itself that we are not aware of the powers of such creatures –"

"Both Dorian and Ella are part-human," the Doctor interrupted again. "They are no more dangerous than the humans whose planet you have invaded."

"Ah," Imber said slowly, her lips forming a small smile. "But you forget one thing, Doctor. As you say, they are only _part_-human. It is the other part which causes Saar so much concern."

"The other half of their blood is Time Lord," the Doctor said exasperatedly. "They pose no threat to your race or anyone else's."

"Saar seems to think otherwise," Imber stated simply. "He believes that this unique blend of blood will create a race of unbeatable, unstoppable beings. Being the peacemaker he is, Saar wishes for no Soratan blood to be spilled."

The Doctor scoffed. "Well, you've proved that he's wrong, haven't you? Or are you unaware of the effect your rain has had on them?"

Imber smiled serenely. "Oh, by all means, Doctor, we are aware. Saar's theory proved to be even more correct than he himself would have believed."

"And what theory was what, exactly?"

"To catch them while they are young, and at their most vulnerable. Allowing these hybrids to grow and develop would make them stronger, and more invincible."

"Take me to him," the Doctor said quickly. If Imber wasn't going to relent, then he would have to go straight to the root of the problem. "Take me to Saar."

* * *

**_Okay, so I've been thinking. This story has been going on for a while now, and I feel that 40 chapters is lot, let alone 50 or 60._**

**_So, I'm thinking of ending this particular story (don't worry, I'm pretty sure I'll make a sequel) pretty soon - as in, the next month or few weeks. My original plan to end it exactly a year after I published the first chapter (how romantic...), but that's not going to happen. So now I'm thinking a year, a month and a day? Even more romantic..._**

**_Let me know what you think about any of the rambles above...as always, reviews are muchos appreciated :) _**


	40. Chapter 40

**CHAPTER 40**

It took all of Rory's strength to prevent Amy from following the Doctor. A few seconds after he had left the TARDIS, Amy, an expression of grim resolution on her face, leapt up and headed towards the door. Had Rory's attention been on anything other than Amy, he would not have been able to reach the door before her, and place himself in front of it to block her way.

She had sworn – loudly. She had shouted, pleaded, cried…Rory's resolve was crumbling with every tear that fell down her beautiful face. But he knew that the Doctor was right; there was no way Amy could join him in facing whatever it was that had hurt Ella. She was too irrational, too emotional…too _Scottish_. Something had endangered the thing she loved most in the world, and she wasn't going to let them get away with it.

"Amy, stop!" Rory insisted through gritted teeth, as she fought against his outstretched arms. "Think of Ella. She needs you."

Amy stopped struggling. The moment's hesitation let Rory believe he was right in stopping her. The burning fire in her eyes was dimming, and she looked back at Ella, who was still lying on the floor, unconscious. Without regarding Rory in any way, Amy turned slowly around, and went back to her daughter's side. Rory breathed a sigh of relief, although he knew that Amy would not be placated for long. Even as a child, Amy could not be easily distracted when she had a goal in mind.

Remembering the Doctor's instructions, Rory followed her, and, with a brief glance at her to check it was okay, he gently lifted her daughter into his arms. As he carried the girl into the next room, he kept his eyes on her mother, not trusting her to stay put.

Regina glanced up as Rory entered with Ella in his arms, and moved aside so that Rory could lay down the girl on the large bed beside Dorian. The sight of the two of them together, sleeping white statues, creeped him out a little. If it wasn't for the beating of their hearts – which Rory had felt whilst carrying Ella – he would have said they were dead.

Amy hadn't followed him. With a last look at Regina, who had eyes only for her son, he shuffled awkwardly out of the bedroom and into the control room. She was standing where he had left her, and looking so defeated that Rory wished there was something he could do to make it better. He pulled her into a hug and she relaxed into his arms, her head resting on the collar of his shirt. He breathed in the scent of her red hair, forcing all the memories he had of her and their time together, to the back of his mind. The last thing she needed right now was a reminder of how much she had hurt him.

"I'm so glad you're here, Rory," she said softly, and he tightened his embrace. "I don't think I'd be able to do it without you."

Rory shook his head. "Of course you would," he asserted. "You're Amelia Pond. You can do anything."

She straightened up, freeing herself from Rory's arms, and gave him a watery smile. "I've missed you, stupid face."

"I've missed you too, ginge." Her eyes brightened a little, and Rory grinned. Then he sighed. "But you don't need me. You've got everything now."

"What do you mean?"

"Look around you, Amy," Rory said, as his own eyes swept the expanse of Regina's TARDIS. "_This _is your life now. You don't want to be living your boring old life in Leadworth, where the most exciting thing was terrorising poor Mrs Dingle. You've got this fantastic, exciting life with Ella and…and the Doctor."

Amy knew this was true – he could see it in her eyes when he told her so. Whatever the outcome of the Doctor's meeting with the Soratans, Rory knew she would never be able to return to her old life. She was – had always been – inextricably linked to the Doctor's world, and she would always, eventually, go back to it.

"He's been gone too long," Amy said quickly, her eyes not quite meeting Rory's. "Something's wrong. We should go find –"

"No." Rory readied himself for another struggle. "No, Amy. Look, as much as I hate to say it, the Doctor knows best. He told me to keep an eye on you…and that means not letting you get into any trouble. And _that _means not letting you go chasing after him."

Amy muttered something that sounded like 'I'm not chasing'. Rory smiled grimly, and steered her into a plush leather armchair. She'd be a lot less dangerous – to both him and herself – if she was sitting down.

"It'll be fine, you know," he said, in an attempt to reassure her. "For all the bad things I could say about the Doctor, he does seem to know what he's doing. Most of the time, anyway."

Amy sighed. "You clearly don't know the Doctor very well, then. I'm pretty sure 'go with the flow' is his life's motto. There's rarely ever a Plan A, let alone a Plan B."

* * *

The Doctor had barely a moment to register the mass of swirling grey cloud, before he was swept up in its cool, damp embrace, hurtling in a spinning whirlwind that dragged him through the sky.

Moments later, he found himself in a Soratan lair very similar to the ones he had seen when on his visit in the seventeen centuries ago. However, Saar's home was much larger, much greyer, and much more impressive. Towering turrets – which looked as though they were made of thick, solid cloud – loomed over him as he gazed upwards. Saar's castle was set to a backdrop of pure black: the sky itself was below his feet, and therefore everything in Saar's world was illuminated from below. The faded blue light that shone upwards cast some very strange shadows, which added to the threatening nature of the castle.

Imber had materialised beside him, having been swept from Earth by an identical tornado, and without any acknowledgement of the Doctor she began striding towards the cloud castle's front entrance. The Doctor followed hastily. The doors swung open automatically, granting both of them entrance, and Imber led the Doctor into a large, grey chamber.

In the centre of the room stood a heavy metal chair, almost like a throne. Its dull gold colour, complete with marks and scratches, hinted at its age and value. Everything about the place screamed antiquity, from the cracks in the arched beams of the roof, to the wrinkled blue faces of the Soratan elders. There were about a dozen of them in total, convened around the golden chair, on which, the Doctor presumed, sat Saar.

He was the oldest of the lot; every inch of his face was wrinkled, and his long matted hair was more white than grey. However, the Doctor recognised a fire in his black eyes that made him wary; this alien was no pushover.

Saar stood up creakily as he saw Imber and the Doctor enter, causing the cluster of Soratans around him to stiffen in apprehension. Imber's pace quickened as she approached him, her outstretched arms mirroring his own. Their palms touched, Imber's long fingers looking tiny in comparison to Saar's, and they bent their heads towards each other.

"Welcome back, my daughter," Saar said, smiling at Imber as their hands broke their connection. "I have read your mind, and I see that what I feared might occur has indeed come to pass."

The Doctor's eyes flickered between the old leader and the woman who had brought him here. He hadn't known that Imber was Saar's daughter – if he had, he might have been more civil. A _little _more civil.

"I see you have brought him with us," Saar continued, acknowledging the Doctor for the first time. "Come, Doctor. No harm shall come to you."

The Doctor strode towards the Soratan, his face set with a stony countenance. The leader's guards reluctantly stepped aside to allow the Doctor access to their ancient leader.

"Saar," the Doctor greeted, his hands forming the same position that Imber's had. In Earth's culture, this gesture was a sign of surrender, of submission, and it seemed to have translated similarly in Soratan tradition. He was, in effect, surrendering all his thoughts to the wisest of Soratans.

"Come, Doctor," Saar smiled, bending his head towards the Doctor. "You do not have to submit to me. We will converse as friends…as equals."

Saar drew a pattern in the air with his fingers, directed at the other old men, and they immediately launched into action. Two of them hurried – as quickly as old men could – to Saar's side, and helped to lower him into the gold chair. A second pair had produced another chair, seemingly from thin air, which they placed adjacent to Saar's.

"Please," Saar said, waving away the men. "Sit with me, Doctor."

"I'd rather stand," the Doctor frowned. "I'm not planning on staying here for very long."

"Ah," Saar sighed sadly. "Always coming and going. You time travellers are free to roam, free to come and go as you please. Life is much less stimulating when you are sitting, making important decisions, but never once leaving the same room."

"Ah, yes," the Doctor cut in. "That's it…'important decisions'. That's what I'm here to talk about –"

"Though surrounded by family," Saar continued in his slow, raspy voice, as if the Doctor hadn't said anything at all. He gestured towards Imber, who smiled graciously. "I yearn to escape the confines of my castle. But alas…"

Saar's black eyes had glazed over, and he seemed to be lost in a reverie, dreaming about what he could not have. The Doctor waited for a minute, but Saar's actions were apparently of no surprise to the other Soratans in the room, who remained in their positions. He took a tentative step closer, and although the eyes of Saar's guard followed him, they made no motion to stop him from approaching their leader. He walked up to the chair that had been placed next to the throne, and sat down. He shuffled around noisily, hoping to provoke some sort of reaction from the old man, but however much he tried to catch his attention, Saar remained locked in his trance.

"Is he alright?" he asked nobody in particular.

"My father is connecting," Imber replied simply. The Doctor nodded once, as if he understood. "He is attempting to seek reasons," she continued, as if she knew that the Doctor had no clue what was going on. "He wishes to know your reasons for coming to us."

"But he did that thingy with you, didn't he?" the Doctor frowned, confused. "Didn't you tell him, or rather _show_ him, what my reasons were?"

Imber smiled, as one would if they were talking to a small child. "Doctor, my father seeks reasons beyond those that are spoken aloud."

The Doctor looked at her, even more confused. "I told you the truth, Imber. I meant everything that I said. My daughter is ill – very ill – because of what you have done. I understand that it is possible to make mistakes, and I believe you have made a very grave one. I come to you in peace, but I request that you fix whatever you have done to cause harm to both my daughter and to my friend."

Imber did not reply, for Saar had raised his hand towards her in a sudden movement that made the guards twitch slightly. It was as if they were attuned to Saar's every motion, and reacted whenever he did something they were not expecting. Imber placed her own palm to her father's, and he turned his head to face her. They conversed silently for a while, neither one's face showing any sign that a discussion was taking place.

"I shall tell him?" Imber asked her father, fracturing the heavy silence.

"No," rasped Saar, once again breaking the connection. "No, my child. I am capable of speaking to the Time Lord myself."

He turned slowly in his throne towards the Doctor, who was still sitting back in his chair.

"I heard your request," he stated, his voice gravelly, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. "I sympathise with your plight. And yet…"

"And yet _what_?" the Doctor asked impatiently. "Honestly, do you think you could speed things up a little? I've got places to be, people to see, lives to restore, et cetera."

"And yet," Saar continued, as if the Doctor had not spoken. "I regret that I cannot give you what you ask for."

The Doctor sighed. He had known it would not be easy to negotiate with the famously stubborn Soratan leader.

"These children you speak of," explained Saar. "We have heard stories…I myself have seen, through my ability to gaze ahead into the time to come, the power these – and others like them – will hold in our world. I regret that I am only able to _see_ the times ahead, unlike you and your friends, who are able to _experience_. I do, however, pity your inability to accept what is to come."

"I can assure you, Saar, that neither Ella nor Dorian will be any more powerful than myself. I have visited your planet once before, and your people will understand that I _always_ come in peace."

"It is true," Saar nodded slowly, "for I have heard stories of your travels to our land. And yet I have also heard other stories. Stories that concern me. You may not deem yourself powerful, Doctor…I see differently. I have heard about your capabilities, how you are able to extinguish entire races if they displease you. I have seen for myself the damage you have caused."

"I have been nothing but peaceful and diplomatic where your people are concerned, Saar," the Doctor said quickly. "Past mistakes cannot overshadow the centuries of good I have done for this Universe."

"Ah," Saar sighed again. "But one day it may not be so. How can I sit in this castle, rule among these skies, in the knowledge that I am doing nothing to prevent such attacks on our people in the future? I thought it over. For days I sat on this chair, neither sleeping, nor eating…for weeks I pondered my choices, until at last I came to a decision."

"And Ella and Dorian fit into this _how_?" the Doctor asked through gritted teeth. Ella's bright, happy face, such a contrast to how he had last seen her, floated back into his mind.

"I am sure that, once upon a time, you told your victims what you have just told me: that you want only peace, that you mean no harm…I cannot risk my people, nor my land. You see, Doctor, my plan worked out better than I had ever expected. By exterminating the troublesome entities, the species of which I have no knowledge but certainty of their great power, I have not only wiped out a potential threat to my people, but have lured you into my realm."

"If you think I'm going to let you get away with this –" the Doctor growled, taking a step towards Saar. The guards nearest to the Soratan leader moved immediately to Saar's side, ready to block an attack from the Doctor. They suddenly looked rather menacing, despite their age.

Saar chuckled, the sound reminding the Doctor of the wheezing groan made by the TARDIS when he left the brakes on. "My dear Doctor, you honestly think I would let you leave Sorata now that you are right where I want you? For years I have been tracking you, watching you move from planet to planet, companion to companion…you leave behind nothing but sadness and destruction, Doctor. The memory of my people runs far back, and if it weren't for their insistence that you were a good man I would have had dealt with you years ago. But now…now I have a reason. A direct threat from the famous Doctor, the last of the Time Lords…I never did like your race. You thought you ruled the Universe, didn't you? I myself believed differently. I bided my time, waiting for the opportunity to strike. But you got there first, didn't you? I was on the brink of involving the Soratan race in the legendary Time War, yet you finished the job yourself. I was in a very powerful position – still beloved by my people, who believed I could do nothing to prevent the destruction caused by the War, and content in the knowledge that I had prevented the Time Lords from usurping my position as ruler of the skies."

"But you were wrong," the Doctor said darkly. "The Time Lords weren't wiped out. Not completely."

"Alas," Saar acknowledged. "I had let one slip through my fingers. I had heard rumours about you, Doctor. Your powers are renowned throughout the Universe, and only my people's respect for you was standing in my way."

"I have no intention of usurping your position, Saar," replied the Doctor, a little more calmly. He was beginning to think the Soratan was losing the plot a little.

"Ah, but I do not believe that. I _cannot _believe that. Too much is at stake for me to let you slip through my fingers again."

"You're completely bonkers, and that's coming from _me_." The Doctor turned away from Saar, intending to leave the castle as soon as possible.

"Seize him!"

The Doctor felt the vice-like grip on his arm before he had a chance to turn around. Something struck him on the back of his head, and he fell to the ground. Everything went black.


	41. Chapter 41

**CHAPTER 41**

Rory had fallen asleep in one of Regina's armchairs, which he had cunningly positioned in front of the bedroom door – just in case Amy got any ideas about escaping during the night. Regina and Amy had both insisted that they would not be sleeping, and though he had tried to get them to rest, they both remained stubbornly sitting next to the bed upon which their children lay.

It had been a rough night. When the Doctor had not returned after four hours, Amy had started pacing distractedly up and down the main room. Regina too had left her son's side, and had spent an hour or two gazing out of the TARDIS's small window. She had politely declined Rory's offer of dinner; Amy hadn't even heard the question.

By the time night had fallen over Leadworth the thunderous rain had stopped, yet the roar of the swirling clouds continued. In fact, Rory could have sworn it was getting louder and more aggressive with each minute that ticked by. Regina left her perch by the window and returned to check on the kids – whose condition had not changed in the slightest – and Amy was desperately trying to think of ways in which she could help the situation. Her suggestions, particularly those that involved her leaving Regina's TARDIS to go searching for him, were quickly rebuffed by Rory. The Doctor's insistence that Amy stay behind seemed like a good idea to him; plus, he did not want to be on the receiving end of the Doctor's anger if he found out that Amy had ignored his orders. He knew the Doctor wouldn't be able to stay angry at Amy for long – who could? – yet he was not so convinced that the Doctor's leniency would extend to him if he were to let Amy go.

However, when Rory was shaken awake at four o'clock the next morning, he knew that he was already losing the battle. Amy, an expression of blazing determination on her face, was heading towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" he asked her sharply once his sleepy eyes had adjusted themselves. The question was futile; he knew _exactly _where she was going, and who she was going to.

"He's in trouble," she replied, not quite meeting his eye as she backed towards the exit. "I don't know how I know, I just do. I've got to help him."

"You haven't _got _to do anything!" Rory countered, rising quickly from his seat and taking a step towards her.

"Yes, I do!"

Rory sighed in frustration, his eyes piercing hers as he prepared his argument. "He's got you into too much trouble already, Amy," he said softly. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he continued. "It's not safe, hanging around with him. Not for you, or for Ella."

He was gearing himself up to his final point, the only one that had the power to dissuade her. His trump card.

"If you go after him, you might never come back. Or, you might get so wrapped up in something you can't possibly understand that it will just make things worse. Amy, I'm begging you. Think about Ella. Think about what will happen to her if you get hurt."

Amy exhaled deeply, one hand still grasped around the door handle. "If I don't go," she began, her voice shaking slightly. "She may never recover at all. The Doctor's in trouble – I can feel it. And if there's a chance that I can save him _and_ my kid then I'm going to take it."

"Amy –"

"Look after her, Rory. If she wakes up, tell her I love her. I'll see you in a bit."

Before Rory could say another word, she wrenched open the heavy door and stepped into the night.

* * *

Amy wasn't particularly sure of her plan of action. In times like these – times when she was chasing dangerous aliens, that is – she had pretty much always followed the Doctor. Now, however, she was on her own, and she didn't even have Rory for company.

She glanced warily upwards towards the sky. The rain had stopped, but the heavy grey clouds continued to thunder ominously. Amy's feet carried her to where her heart wanted to go: the Doctor's TARDIS. Without any solid plan, the TARDIS seemed to be the one place that could get her to the Doctor. Tucked away into the corner of the field, the TARDIS stood gloriously blue against the overcast sky.

"Hello, old girl," she sighed as she stepped inside, embracing the warmth that immediately enveloped her as she shut the door. The TARDIS was exactly as she had left it – the bright blue glow of the central column pulsed invitingly, and the furniture still showed the remnants of the last altercation that had occurred there. Without pausing, Amy headed straight for the console.

"Right," she said, addressing the TARDIS. She knew she sounded crazy – although it did seem that the ship had a mind of her own sometimes, there was no way it was going to listen to _her_ – but if this was what it took to get to the Doctor, then she had to at least try it. "Here's what we're gonna do." She pulled on a lever and a nearby screen sprang into life. "I don't know where he is, or what he's up to. But he's been gone far too long for my liking and we're going to go and find him. You've got to help me. _Find the Doctor_."

At her instruction, the column began pulsating violently, and a series of coordinates scrolled across the screen. Alarmed, Amy stepped away from the console as the TARDIS worked of her own accord to find her master.

"Here we go," Amy gritted her teeth against the ship's jerking. She had no idea what the TARDIS was doing, or where it was taking her, but she closed her eyes tight until the movement had stopped.

Even before she opened her eyes, she could feel the cold, damp air seeping into the time machine through various orifices in the TARDIS's walls. Shivering, but determined not to back out, she headed for the front door and threw it open.

Standing in front of her was a Soratan. The creature was exactly as she'd imagined: the blue skin was the same colour as the early evening sky, whilst the many grey plaits that fell from its head were the exact shade of the storm clouds that she had seen ravage over Leadworth. The alien was very tall but slim, and its long limbs seemed out of proportion. But it was the eyes that she noticed first, and these she locked on to with her own brown ones. She was surprised that she should come across one of the aliens so soon, but she wasn't going to show it. Amy searched for some hint of mercy in the cold, black eyes of the creature who had taken the Doctor away.

"I'm looking for the Doctor," Amy said quickly, wishing to get in and out of Sorata as quickly as possible.

The alien did not respond immediately, but continued gazing at Amy with its curious black eyes.

"Who are you?"

Amy faltered slightly. "Amy Pond."

"The Doctor has not mentioned an 'Amy Pond'."

"Ha!" Amy yelled triumphantly. "So you _do _have him. Where is he?"

"He was taken down to the cells."

"The what? You mean _dungeon _cells? _Prison_?" Amy couldn't understand why she was still standing; why she was still breathing. She was sure her heart had stopped beating at the strange alien's words. The Doctor, in prison? That just made the situation a load more complicated than it already was.

"He was taken to the cells three hours ago."

"I need to see him," Amy said resolutely.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"I need to see him, _now_."

Amy could see that the alien was not going to back down, although her black eyes did pull away from Amy's own. She tried a different approach.

"What is your name?" Amy asked softly, her voice a complete contrast to the commanding tone she had used just seconds before.

"They call me Regen."

"Do you have children, Regen?"

Amy knew she had been right when she saw Regen's pale blue lips quaver slightly.

"I have a son. He is three."

Amy nodded. "And you would do anything for him?"

"Of course," Regen replied, her black eyes rising once again.

"If someone had hurt him, you would do anything in your power to find that person?"

Regen nodded again.

"And if your son was dying, and the only way that you could save him was to find one man, you would do all you could to find that man?"

"I would," Regen whispered.

"I have a daughter," Amy said, trying to keep the hint of triumph out of her voice. She knew that she had won Regen over from the moment she had mentioned her son. "Her name is Ella, and she is sixteen. Because of something you did, or your _people _did, she is lying in a coma. I believe she is dying."

Regen hung her head.

"I _need _to find the Doctor, Regen," Amy continued. "I am begging you. He's the only person who will be able to save her, I know that. Please help me find him." Amy hated herself for resorting to begging, but she knew it was the only way she could ensure Regen's help.

Regen seemed torn; torn between her loyalty to her people, and the bond she had with this strange woman, a mother like herself, who was only doing what was needed to save her child.

"Follow me," Regen said quietly, and without glancing behind her to see if Amy was indeed following, she turned and started walking.

* * *

It wasn't the first time that the Doctor had woken up in a prison cell. In fact, it was such a common occurrence that he barely paid any attention to the handcuffs wrapped around his wrists as he took in his surroundings. Like everything else Soratan, the room was a grim shade of grey. There was very little floor – the Doctor's sprawled body took up most of it – but the ceiling was high, about ten metres. It gave the Doctor the uncomfortable, claustrophobic feeling of being inside an opaque test-tube. The only light was natural, and it came from a small gap in the wall, near the ceiling. Even the thin shaft of light seemed to give off a greyish hue.

Bleary eyed from his impromptu blackout, the Doctor could make out the faint outline of a door on the wall opposite him, but as there was no visible lock on the inside of the room the Doctor could see no way out. From the direction in which the light was travelling – whereas most of the light in Sorata came from below, the beam came from above – he guessed that he was in the Soratan version of 'underground'.

The Doctor dragged himself to his feet and staggered towards the prison's door.

"Oi!" he yelled, moving his face near to the barely distinguishable seam where the door met the wall. "What's going on? Let me out!"

There was no answer. After a few more, slightly half-hearted attempts, the Doctor returned to his previous spot and sat back down. He drew up his knees, and rested his head on his shackled hands. There had to be _something _he could do to get out of this nightmare of a situation.

A faint buzzing sound shook him from his reverie, and he looked around the room. As the sound got louder, he remembered his sonic screwdriver, and, struggling with his tied hands, he managed to retrieve it from his jacket pocket.

"Hello?" he spoke into it, not entirely sure of the protocol for screwdriver communication.

"Doctor!" came Rory's voice in reply. Though he sounded relieved, the Doctor could hear Rory's panic, and he grasped the screwdriver tightly in his hand.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor responded, as a series of images flashed through his mind: Ella...Amy...Dorian.

"I've been trying to get hold of you for ages," Rory said accusingly. "Where are you? What's going on?"

The Doctor frowned. "I…I think I must have blacked out. The last thing I remember was having a go at old Saar – not a very nice chap in the end. I literally just woke up in prison."

"What?" Rory exclaimed.

"Yes. They're rather advanced for their time, these Soratans. Impermeable doorway, handcuffs, the works. I'll think of something, though. I see you got Regina to show you her communicator device thingamabob. What was it you wanted?"

The Doctor heard Rory take a deep breath. "It's Amy."

His hearts skipped a beat. Those two words were all that was needed for everything in his mind to go blank. He clasped the screwdriver in his hand, waiting for whatever news Rory was about to deliver.

"Amy?"

"I tried to stop her, but you know what she's like."

"What's _happened_, Rory?"

"She…she went after you. She said that something was wrong, that she could feel it inside of her, or something."

"She did _what_?" the Doctor growled, furious at himself for thinking that she would stay put. He should have known that Rory Williams would have no power against Amelia Pond, especially when she was desperate. She would have looked at him with those big, beautiful eyes of hers, and he would have been putty in her hands. "How long ago?"

"What?" Rory stammered.

"_How long_? When did she leave?"

"About forty-five minutes ago. Maybe an hour, I'm not sure."

The Doctor pressed a button on the screwdriver, not caring if it cut Rory off or not. All he could think about now was Amy, and her ridiculous need to disobey him every single time. He tried sliding his hand out of the iron clasp around his wrist, but it was bolted too tightly. He couldn't even twist the screwdriver in order to unlock the handcuffs. Angrily, he shoved the screwdriver back in his pocket. He felt so powerless, locked up in his small grey prison without any hope of saving Amy from whatever dangers she was facing.

Once again, he scrambled to his feet – again with difficulty, for his hands were still clasped in their iron bracelets – and staggered towards the door. He raised both fists and brought them down upon the prison door, the clangs of metal-on-metal reverberating around the room.

"Come on!" he cried out in frustration. "Amy!"

He didn't know why he said her name. Sure, she was at the forefront of his mind at that precise moment in time, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to bring her to him…

…which is why he nearly jumped out of his Gallifreyan skin when he heard, from the other side of the door, the voice he wanted to hear most in the world.

"If you don't let go of me right this instant, buster, I will _not _be responsible for my actions!"


	42. Chapter 42

**Last one kids, let's make it a good one. See you on the other side...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 42**

Amy followed Regen down grey corridor after grey corridor, losing track of all the twists and turns as they headed downwards towards the dungeons. Apparently Regen's kindness in allowing Amy access to the Doctor did not stretch to small talk – she led Amy in silence, stopping now and again to glance around corners for any adversary that might get in their way.

"Can I ask you a question?" Amy whispered, as she struggled to keep up with her. As well as having the advantage of knowing the Soratan castle like the back of her hand, Regen's movements appeared effortless – she seemed to glide along the narrow grey paths, in comparison to Amy's clumsy stumbling.

"It depends what you are asking," Regen replied matter-of-factly, as she once again ducked into the shadows.

"How _did _the Doctor end up in the dungeons? I know he can be a bit irritating, but –"

"Saar saw him as a threat to our people – just as he saw your daughter and the boy as threats."

Amy's eyes narrowed, and was thankful that Regen had once again sped off down the corridor – if she had been within close proximity Amy may have slapped her.

"Yeah, about that," she said angrily. "You know that's ridiculous, right? Ella and Dorian are no more harmful than flies."

"Flies with the power to wipe out entire species," Regen countered, as they rounded yet another corner.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Do not ask me to provide you with all of the inner workings of Saar's head," Regen smiled ruefully. "I can, however, tell you that he has always mistrusted the Doctor."

"The Doctor's been nothing but peaceful towards your race," Amy said hotly. "He told me that."

"It is the whole Gallifreyan race whom Saar despises. He believes that they have abused the powers they have been granted."

"And Ella fits into this how, exactly?"

Regen glanced backwards towards the red-headed human. "Is it not obvious? She has the blood of a Gallifreyan, and the blood of a human – the two species whom Saar fears most. He has his own gifts; he has seen what such a mixture can mean."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked again.

"If your daughter and the boy survive," she said, turning back to the shadows so that her blue face was hidden from Amy. "Then they will be great. They will have power beyond anything Saar has ever seen, and he fears this."

"Well, well, well," a rasping voice proclaimed, and a tall, blue figure stepped out of the shadows. "I do hope we are not giving away all of our precious secrets, Regen. If our father were to find out about your betrayal…well, I think he'd be just about ready to throw you from our skies."

Regen faltered, frozen to the spot by the arrival of this newcomer.

"Imber," she quavered. "You must listen to me. This woman is –"

"Hold on a second," Amy interrupted, stepping out from behind Regen. "'Our father'? What's going on?"

Regen looked away from Amy, ashamed.

"She never told you of her true identity?" Imber grinned maliciously. "It must have slipped her mind that she was, in fact, the daughter of our great leader, Saar. Her son is his one true heir, and her aiding you is the ultimate betrayal of him and our people."

"Imber, listen to me," Regen implored, but Imber seemed to be done with talking.

"Guards!" she shouted behind her, and in an instant there appeared about a dozen blue-skinned, grey-bearded Soratan men, dressed in grey smocks and armed with silver tridents. "Take this woman to the dungeons. No doubt she will find what she is looking for there."

"No!" Regen cried out, but her sister grabbed her arm.

"I think that you have caused enough trouble for one day, Regen." She looked at her disdainfully. "You and your compassion…let us pray to the skies that your son has not inherited this particular trait."

"Get off me," Amy snarled, as a pair of blue hands grasped her shoulders. "When the Doctor hears about this –"

"There is nothing that your precious Doctor can do for you now," Imber retorted. "The children will be dead within hours, and you and the Doctor will be in Sorata's cells for eternity."

Amy thought her legs would crumple beneath her. "How could you?" she screeched, as the guard holding her kept her standing steadily. "They're just _children_! They've done nothing to you."

Imber laughed loudly, but there was still an evil glint in her eye as she wrestled against Regen's attempts to free herself. "I had been told of the foolishness of humans, but you, my dear, defy all expectations. Your silly little mind cannot contemplate the horrors that will ensue, should the blood of a Time Lord beat in the heart of a human child."

Amy had had enough. She threw herself against the restraining arms of the Soratan guard, and, caught by surprise, they sprung open and she found herself free.

"Run, Amy!" Regen yelled, as Imber and the guards stared at her dumbfounded.

For once, Amy did as she was told. She had no idea where she was going, but only wished to escape the heavy footfalls of chasing guards, and Imber's screeches of '_imbeciles_!'.

She concentrated on the Doctor, once again willing her body to carry her to him. She turned a corner and entered a corridor that sloped downwards. Taking a gamble that this was the entrance to the cells, she skidded down the length of the corridor. The thunderous clanking of the guards' metal sandals trailed behind her as she ran headlong into a grey stone door.

There was no way out. She could hear the guards advancing, and there was no apparent lock or handle on the door. She tried shoving her full body weight against it in desperation, but to no avail.

The first of the guards emerged from the corridor and found her backed up against the cell door. With one hand grasping his weapon, he reached his other out to clamp around her pale wrist.

Amy glared at him, her brown eyes narrowing as she tried to wrench her wrist away from the iron grip of the Soratan guard. "If you don't let go of me right this instant, buster," she spat, twisting her body in an attempt to escape. "I will _not _be responsible for my actions."

"Amy?"

She stopped struggling, and stared curiously at the door. Apparently she was not alone in hearing the voice, for the guards too had turned towards it. The Soratan gripped Amy's arm tighter, but she did not protest.

"Doctor?" she replied. "Please tell me you're not in there."

"Yes, unfortunately. What in the name of all that is Gallifreyan are you doing here?"

Amy felt a little ridiculous, speaking to a door, but she was so relieved to hear the Doctor's voice that she continued anyway.

"We'll talk later..." she once again became aware of the Soratan guards surrounding her. "I've got a bit of a problem to sort out first."

"Problem?" the Doctor's disembodied voice sounded panicked, and Amy couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"Just a little one," she replied, playing for time before she would be undoubtedly be joining the Doctor in his cell. She turned towards the guards, catching the eye of the one who was holding her captive. "Guys, I'm know you're doing your duty and everything, but if you could just let me go –"

"Who is with you, Amy?" the Doctor asked sharply. "Who's got you?"

Amy sighed and turned back towards the door. "I may have run into a spot of trouble – namely, Saar's personal guard. Could you shut up a minute, I want a word with them."

"It'll be a pretty one-sided chat."

"What?"

"The guards can't speak – they're mutes. They devote their lives to serving Sorata's rulers."

Amy stared at the guards, trying to remember if she had ever heard one of them speak before. No, she couldn't. The only Soratans she had heard talking were Regen and her crazy sister. The guards seemed to take the momentary pause as their queue – in one swift motion, they lifted their weapons and pointed them threateningly at Amy. The guard holding her lifted her off the floor, and placed his large blue palm on the cell door, which slid slowly open. With Amy under one arm and his trident extended towards the Doctor, he deposited her just inside the small room, and allowed the door to slide shut again.

"Amy," the Doctor breathed, and hurried over to where she had fallen.

"I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Let me look at you." Once again he twisted the screwdriver out of his jacket pocket and scanned Amy's eyes.

"Get off," she groaned, batting the screwdriver away. "I'm fine." She propped herself up on her elbows, and looked at the Doctor properly. "Your hands," she gasped, noticing for the first time the iron bands that bound his wrists. There were deep, red marks on the Doctor's skin where he had struggled to prise the cuffs off.

"They're not important," the Doctor said dismissively, still mentally scanning his companion's vitals. She seemed to be healthy, but so had Ella before she had collapsed.

"Let me try and get them off," Amy suggested, reaching for his wrists.

"Believe me, I've tried," the Doctor sighed in response. "But hey, try the screwdriver. If that won't unlock them I don't know what will, and I'm pretty sure my hands are better as a pair than joined together."

He dropped the screwdriver into Amy's outstretched hand, and she pointed it deliberately at the chain of metal linking his hands together.

"Press that button," the Doctor instructed, nodding his head towards the large, round button on the shaft.

Amy, for once, did as she was told, and the handcuffs sprang apart with a flash of green light and a _clang _as the metal hit the stone floor.

"Excellent," the Doctor murmured, rubbing the sore spots on his wrists.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Amy groaned, shakily standing up and walking towards the door. "We're stuck in bloody _prison_ while my kid is all alone back on Earth. I _knew _something like this would happen if we stayed on the TARDIS. It was only a matter of time –"

"Shh," the Doctor hushed, pulling Amy into his arms. "She's my kid too, remember? I said I'd find them, and make sure she got better."

"Well…we found them," Amy sniffed. "But you didn't hear the way she was talking. She said that they'd be dead within hours, and we'd be stuck in here forever."

The Doctor looked up sharply, and held Amy at arm's length so he could look at her face. "Who said that? Who did you see?"

"Imber, I think her name was. Her father is the leader of this place."

"You saw _Imber_?" the Doctor asked, remembering the Soratan woman who had brought him here.

"Her sister found me in the TARDIS, and after some persuading she told me to follow her. She was taking me to find you, but we ran into Imber and a bunch of guards on the way down."

"Hate is a word I rarely use, but I think I can safely say that I _hate _that woman for saying that to you."

Amy looked at the door, the impenetrable barrier to the outside world, and then glanced at the screwdriver in the Doctor's hand

"Brilliant!" the Doctor declared, although she hadn't actually said anything.

Amy rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You didn't try this first? What kind of genius are you?"

The Doctor ignored her question and pointed the screwdriver at the line where door met wall. "Trust me, Pond. This'll work. It's fool-proof."

"Says the biggest fool in the entire Universe," Amy muttered under her breath.

"I'm ignoring that," he replied, pressing the button on the screwdriver.

There was an almighty bang, and the sonic screwdriver flew out of the Doctor's hand and into the air. The Doctor was thrown backwards, and would have crashed into Amy had she not swerved out of the way. When the noise had stopped reverberating around the room, Amy took her hands away from her ears and pulled the Doctor back up. They both looked towards the door, expecting to see a gaping hole where the explosion had occurred.

"There's nothing there," the Doctor noted in surprise. "Absolutely nothing."

Amy smirked. "Fool-proof, you say?"

The Doctor frowned, reaching out to examine the spot where the screwdriver had been pointed at. "They've got some repelling thing going on. To be expected, obviously. No-one but a Soratan can get anywhere near it."

Just as he began to step away from the door, they both heard a creaking noise and watched, in shock, as it slid open. Painfully slowly, the crack between the door and the wall grew wider, until yellow-grey light began to filter into the cell. Amy crept closer to the Doctor, and he stretched out an arm to stop her coming any nearer.

When the door was open halfway, the Doctor saw who was standing on the other side. He stepped protectively in front of Amy, backing away from the entrance with his screwdriver clasped in his hand.

"You!" he cried, lifting the screwdriver and pointing it towards her.

"Doctor, I really don't think that's going to work right now," Amy hissed, peering round his tall body to see who had caused such alarm. "Put it down, you idiot!" she said, and grabbed his arm. "That's the _sister_. _Regen_.She's the one who helped me."

Regen stepped cautiously into the cell, her hands outstretched and palms facing away, just as Imber had when greeting her father.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor apologised, although he still kept his body in front of Amy's. "You look a lot like your sister."

Regen glanced over her shoulder. "If she finds out that I'm doing this, I fear that I _will _be thrown from the skies."

"Doing what?" Amy asked.

"I am helping you, of course. You were right – I would do the same if my son were in danger. And I do not believe that these children will be harmful to Sorata – my father is getting rather paranoid in his old age."

"We appreciate this immensely, Regen. Maybe we should, you know, get going?" the Doctor suggested, grabbing hold of Amy's arm.

"Wait," she said, turning towards Regen. "How do we stop this? How can we get Ella and Dorian okay again?"

"Ah," Regen murmured, looking as if she had just remembered something. She reached into a pouch in her long, silvery-grey robe and pulled out a small vial. "Take this," she said, thrusting the vial into the Doctor's hand.

"What is it?" Amy asked, looking at the tiny bottle.

"No," the Doctor whispered, a look of wonder on his face. "It can't be."

Regen nodded, glancing warily behind her shoulder.

"Er, could someone do me the honour of telling me what that stuff is? I'd quite like to get going…"

"It is the most valuable trading item we have in Sorata."

"Right," Amy said slowly, still unconvinced. She turned to the Doctor. "Why are you getting all antsy about it?"

The Doctor held the tiny vial up to the thin shaft of grey light, where its liquid contents shimmered and sparkled. "I never thought I'd see…so _valuable_." He tore his eyes away from the bottle and looked at Regen. "How did you get it?"

"We have no time for lengthy explanations," she said quickly. "But I will say that being the daughter of the leader of the planet has its advantages. Now, you must hurry. Amy, take the route you took to get down here – it will lead you straight back to your ship. I have diverted my sister – and the guards – away from the area, so you should be safe."

The Doctor's hand slid down to Amy's, and although she stiffened slightly she did not pull away.

"Thanks for everything, Regen. We owe you our lives, and our daughter's. Stay safe." The Doctor gave her a grim smile before quickly pulling Amy out of the cell, lest Regen change her mind.

Although the Doctor hated the thought of Amy going before him, of having her exposed, he had to let her lead him through the labyrinthine corridors to get back to the TARDIS. He kept a firm grip on Amy's hand as they ran, ready to pull her aside at any hint of danger.

They reached the TARDIS without any obstacles – Regen had been very thorough in distracting the guards – and they threw themselves inside its protective walls without a look back at the grey planet they were leaving behind.

Amy shuddered as the Doctor let go of her hand and hurried to the console.

"I hated that place," she muttered.

"You only saw the inside," the Doctor replied as he plugged in Earth's coordinates. "Believe me, it was never _my _idea to visit here all those years ago. I much prefer a temperate climate – like Rio."

"You always promised we'd go to Rio. The _proper _Rio."

The Doctor left the TARDIS to guide them to Leadworth, and he walked back to Amy. Although she seemed high-spirited enough, he could see the blank despair in her eyes and the droop in her shoulders, as if she had already given up. He took her pale hands, enveloping them in his own tanned ones, and caught her eye.

"We'll get there, Amy. Back to Leadworth. I promise you. We would know if something was wrong, okay? We'd feel it, just like you felt that something had happened to me."

Amy's eyes narrowed. "How did you know about that?"

The Doctor gave her a small smile. "Rory contacted me when you ran off. I swear I nearly had a heart attack. A _double _one."

Amy returned the smile, looking up into his green eyes. She had never realised how beautiful the colour of his eyes were. "It'll take a lot more than a heart attack to carry you off, Time Lord."

The Doctor pulled her slightly closer to him, and for once she did not hesitate or pull away.

"I can think of one thing that would," he murmured, as the TARDIS rumbled around them. "I didn't realise it before you left, Pond."

"Realise what?"

"That my life, however many chances I'm given at it, just isn't worth living if you're not in it."

There was a pause, and the Doctor's eyes slid away from Amy's. She squeezed his hand, bringing his attention back to her.

"Why didn't you say something?"

He shrugged, aware that this would be his only chance to say what he wanted to before they arrived on Earth. "What with Ella, and then Regina and Dorian…and Rory…I guess it was never really the right time, to say…"

"To say what?"

"To say…to say that…that I think I might be in love with you."

There was another pause, but this time the Doctor did not look away. He tried to read Amy's expression, to gauge her reaction to his confession, but she kept up a poker face.

"That's an awfully long sentence, Doctor."

Her response took him by surprise, and he let of her hands. "That's it?" he exclaimed.

"Well, what did you expect?" Amy grinned impishly. She thought of the little bottle in the Doctor's jacket pocket, and knew that Ella would be all right. She allowed herself to push her daughter's welfare to the side, just slightly, as she gazed back into the dark green orbs of the man in front of her. "Usually it's meet someone, fall in love, get married, have kids. We've sort of skipped out a few steps."

"I've always loved you," the Doctor pouted. "But there was always Rory."

"There's no Rory anymore, Doctor. There's me, you and Ella. And the TARDIS, of course."

"I like the sound of that," the Doctor smiled, stepping towards Amy again.

"And you know what?" she asked, as her arms reached up to wrap around his neck.

"What?"

"I think I might be in love with you, too."

* * *

Rory paced up and down in Regina's control room, muttering to himself and mentally counting the time since he had spoken to the Doctor. It had been at least an hour, and although the Doctor was now aware of Amy's running away, there was nothing he could do about it. He was in _prison_, for Pete's sakes. It was just like the Doctor to end up being arrested when he was needed more than ever.

Although Regina had finally accepted that she could do nothing to stop Dorian and Ella's declining health, she still insisted on keeping a vigil by their bedside. Rory had called her out briefly, to pick her brains on how to contact the Doctor, but she had seemed like an empty shell. As Dorian slipped away, she was going too.

He gritted his teeth, not for the first time regretting ever getting embroiled in the Doctor's life. He was a nurse from Leadworth; he lived a comfortable life surrounded by the people he had grown up with. He wasn't cut out for living dangerously; he was sure that his choice of lifestyle (the more sensible choice, in his opinion) was part of the reason why Amy had left him, although she would never admit it.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the tell-tale screeching, grinding noise just outside of the door. It wasn't until Regina flew past him, having heard the creaking of her TARDIS's front door, that Rory himself saw the Doctor's tall, gangly frame enter the room. Amy followed close behind, and with a pang he caught sight of their linked hands.

"Doctor!" Regina gasped, running up to him. "What's going on? Did you find them?"

The Doctor reached with his free hand into his jacket pocket, and brought out a tiny bottle. It was filled with a silver liquid, and Regina's mouth dropped open.

"Is that what I think it is?"

The Doctor grinned. "Yep."

Amy sighed. "You know, I never did catch what it was – between you and Regen, I never was going to get a straight answer."

"Regen?" Regina enquired.

"We'll explain everything later," the Doctor replied. "But first, let's fix those kids. If this doesn't do it I don't know what will."

"It's fool-proof, is it?" Amy winked at him, and he nudged her playfully.

"So fool-proof that even Rory Williams could use it and it would probably be fine." The Doctor turned his attention to Rory, who was keeping his distance.

"Don't be mean," Amy poked him, giving Rory a small smile. She had seen him looking at the Doctor's hand, the one wrapped around her own, and the look upon his face made her want to apologise. She let go of the Doctor's hand and ran past Rory, throwing open the door to the bedroom.

"Oh, babe," she whispered, and fell to her knees at Ella's side. She was looking even paler than she had done when Amy had last seen her, and all of the happiness she had felt since the Doctor's confession drained away. "I'm sorry for leaving you, El. But I found him – the Doctor, your dad. He's right here, and he's got stuff for you that will make you better. I promise it will make you better, El."

She continued to whisper assurances to her unconscious daughter as the Doctor and Regina entered the room. Amy watched as he pulled the stopper off the vial and measured out a tiny amount of the liquid.

"Is that going to be enough?" Amy asked, unsure as to whether a few droplets of shiny water would be enough to rouse Ella and Dorian.

"Trust me, this is enough. You don't want too much of this stuff," he responded, bringing the drops to Ella's lips and letting them fall into her mouth. He quickly administered the same amount to Dorian, and then sat down on the bed in the space between them.

It took only seconds for the mysterious medicine to take effect, although it seemed like hours to Amy. Within moments of each other, Ella and Dorian opened their eyes, and blinked up at the three adults gazing down at them. Regina, overcome with the emotion of the day, threw herself upon her son's chest and wept tears of relief as he struggled to prop himself up on his elbows. Amy gripped Ella's hand as she woke up from unconscious oblivion, staring bewilderedly around the room.

"What happened?" she said softly, glancing at Dorian beside her. He had finally managed to free himself from his mother's embrace and was now the one reassuring _her_. Ella frowned as she tried to work out what had occurred since she was last awake. "Did I faint? Again?"

Amy burst out laughing. "Something like that. But you're all better now."

"Are we going to find these aliens then?" Ella asked, and attempted to get off the bed.

"Woah, woah," the Doctor stopped her, pushing her leg back into its previous position. "Don't try to get up. That stuff works incredibly well but it will make you woozy. I like that word, 'woozy'," he added as an afterthought.

"We already found the aliens, hon," Amy explained.

"What?" Ella groaned. "Why did I have to faint? I always miss out on the good stuff."

The Doctor and Amy looked at each other, and he rolled his eyes. The full explanation could wait until later. He was a Time Lord, a master of time, and he knew that they really did have all the time in the world.

* * *

**So that's it for the moment, hope you liked/tolerated it - sorry for the ridiculous amount of chapters. Won't happen again (lie). I'm afraid I won't let you go without a review or two. I'm sorry, it's the only way.**

**For all you twihards out there, a quick shout out to my homeboy/partner in crime, ZoeLeeC, and her story 'White Blank Page'. She's kind of weird but don't hold it against her...**

**A xoxo**


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